Alan with his immaculate sense of timimg has once again produced a link that allows me to update progress on the substance of an earlier Blog inwhich I detailed the various Walton Bridges.
The first bridge was captured by Canaletto
Over the period since, 4 other bridges have been constructed. In less than my life-time two new bridges have spanned the Thames, both have been temporary and cheaply constructed with little maintenance. In the same time traffic has grown from a few buses and lorries, and the odd car, and lots and lots of bicycles, to traffic carnage.
This is an everyday, all day, scene, and a place of numerous accidents.
The first span, of bridge number 6, from the Shepperton side to mid-Thames. The Bridge was closed during the night and the event was attend by, so I'm led to believe, hundreds of spectators.
The new Bridge is due to open mid 2013 - will I live to see number 7?
Its a shame the bridge built in 1750 was too costly to maintain. It was a beauty!
ReplyDeleteI fully expect you to live to see number 7 and to record its construction for Sepia Saturday. Let us only hope that I will be around to provide the perfectly timed archival cue for the post.
ReplyDeleteThis is quite an interesting genealogy of the bridge.
ReplyDeleteWe still have a road bridge in use at Yarm built in 1410; it survived an iron bridge replaced that collapsed before it opened. Yarm and its bridge is still a bottleneck - fortunately the volume of traffic we complain about cannot match what your Walton bridges have to cope with. I must have been over the bridge at Walton in the 1990s but had no time to stop and look.
ReplyDeleteI could look at photos of bridges all day long! One of my most favorite topics. Great post, thanks, I especially like the more recent ones as well!
ReplyDeleteI love pictures of bridges but have a fear of driving or riding over them. I keep my eyes closed when riding over them and avoid driving them if at all possible. Grace
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine that people in 1750 had the "constructive wisdom" to erect #1 bridge? Incredible! And it is beauty!
ReplyDeleteThat fiorst design looks the best and it is gone. For sure traffic today all over the world does a job on bridges that once would have been considered to endure for lifetimes.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the early bridge builders never envisaged the amount of traffic which now passes over them in the 21st century. An interesting history Mike. (But darn it you still have the dratted word verification switched on!!).
ReplyDeleteI,m sure I switched it Off last week. I sometimes think that the machine thinks it controls me. Maybe it does because I don't know what I'm doing half the time.
DeleteI also love the first bridge. It's absolutely gorgeous. If it was around today it would rival the Golden Gate and the Brooklyn. Too bad it's gone.
ReplyDeleteNancy
I agree, but unforetunately it saw less life than most of us, and in my case just a third.
ReplyDeleteI too love the first bridge. It is so romantic looking. Bet you get to see the new one.
ReplyDeleteQMM
An interesting post. The old Walton bridge was new to me so I looked it up. The Canaletto was described as his only work showing the English weather. When I lived in London, I noted an odd sign on a Thames bridge, the Vauxhall I think, that said "troop must break step". In the early 19th century it was thought that the vibration caused by marching soldiers had led to the tragic collapse of a few bridges. People in earlier eras had a very justifiable fear of bridge engineering.
ReplyDeleteThat first bridge really was pretty, if not a bit impractical by today's standards.
ReplyDeleteAt the rate the bridges are going up, I think you will be there to record it for us. The first bridge is really beautiful. word verification is on and this is my second try.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post. Hard to even tell that the 2nd picture is actually of the bridge with all that traffic on it.
ReplyDelete