A cast-iron bridge is a bridge whose structural spans are built from cast iron rather than stone, timber or wrought iron, a construction technique pioneered by the Iron Bridge at Coalbrookdale in Shropshire, England. Built under Abraham Darby III to a design credited to the architect Thomas Farnolls Pritchard and opened in 1781 after roughly two years of construction, it was the first major bridge in the world made of cast iron, spanning the River Severn with five sectional cast-iron ribs and nearly 1,700 individual components across a main span of 100 feet 6 inches. Its success inspired the widespread structural use of cast iron and made the bridge an enduring symbol of the Industrial Revolution.
Facts
SignificanceThe Iron Bridge, opened in 1781, was the first major bridge in the world made of cast iron 1 FAQs
Why was the Iron Bridge built of cast iron?
A growing local industry needed a reliable crossing and Pritchard suggested cast iron in 1773.
The industries growing around Coalbrookdale and Broseley needed a more reliable crossing. In 1773 Thomas Farnolls Pritchard wrote to John Wilkinson to suggest building a bridge out of cast iron. The bridge was opened on New Year's Day 1781 and was the first bridge of its size in the world to be made of cast iron.
Connections
Associated With
Cast Iron, Materials Cast iron was the structural material of the first iron bridges.
In Field
Source The Iron Bridge, Wikipedia
Invented By
Source The Iron Bridge, Wikipedia
Sources
1. The Iron Bridge, Wikipedia
Article body, construction
The bridge first spanned the river on 2 July 1779, and it was opened to traffic on 1 January 1781.
Article lead
Opened in 1781, it was the first major bridge in the world to be made of cast iron.
In Field: Civil Engineering, Categories
Bridges across the River Severn
Invented By: Thomas Farnolls Pritchard, History
No satisfactory proposal was made, and the trustees agreed to proceed with Pritchard's design
In Group: Bridge Types, Introduction
The Iron Bridge is a cast iron arch bridge that spans the Ironbridge Gorge of the River Severn in Shropshire, England.
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