Whitby Swing Bridge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Whitby Swing Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Whitby Swing Bridge | |
| Coordinates | 54°29′13″N 0°36′46″W / 54.486914°N 0.612701°W |
| Crosses | River Esk, North Yorkshire |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Swing bridge |
| Longest span | 75 ft |
| Load limit | 7.5 tons[1] |
| History | |
| Designer | J Mitchell Moncrieff |
| Engineering design by | Heenan & Froude[2] |
| Construction start | 1908 |
| Construction cost | £22,582 (equivalent to £2,973,297 as of 2023),[3] |
| Opened | 1909 |
| Location | |
 | |
Whitby Swing Bridge is a pedestrian and road bridge over the River Esk in Whitby, North Yorkshire, England.
The River Esk has been crossed by bridges at this location for centuries. A grant made by King Edward III in 1351 allowed the collection of pontage tolls for the maintenance of a bridge. By the mid 1550s the tolls averaged around £6 per annum (equivalent to £2,875 as of 2023).[3][4]
In 1629 an agreement was made by the justices in the North Riding to replace a wooden bridge with one which included moving parts. This was later replaced by a drawbridge, built in 1766 at a cost of £3,000 (equivalent to £527,000 in 2023), and later in 1835, the first swing bridge was opened designed by Francis Pickernell.[5][6]
