THE BARTON SWING BRIDGE

The Barton Swing Bridge



Introduction

The Barton Swing Bridge is a moveable navigable aqueduct in Barton upon Irwell in Greater Manchester, England. It carries the Bridgewater Canal over the Manchester Ship Canal; the swinging activity permits large vessels utilizing the Manchester Ship Canal to overtake below and lesser slender vessels to traverse over the top. The aqueduct, which is the first and only swing aqueduct in the world, is a Grade II* recorded construction and is advised a foremost feat of Victorian municipal engineering. Designed by Sir Edward Leader Williams and constructed by Andrew Handy edge of Derby, the swing bridge opened in 1894 and continues in normal use. (Pain 2003 p.59) The Barton Swing Aqueduct was a direct replacement for the previous Barton Aqueduct, a pebble structure traversing the River Irwell. The initial pebble aqueduct was conceived by James Brindley and antiquated from 1761; it was recounted as "one of the seven wonders of the canal age".

 

Discussion

Amongst the suggestions were the buildings of two vessel elevators, alike to the Anderson Lift between the Trent and Mersey Canal and the Weaver Navigation, and a twice air journey of security devices - one on each edge of the boat canal. Both designs needed the Bridgewater traffic to be let down to the boat canal for the short transit over, and then to be hoisted back up to the initial grade to extend their excursion - apparently a time spending and costly process.  The last answer was to construct a swing aqueduct, a large technology feat, and one which had not ever been tried before. (Nevell 2006 p.38) Both the street bridge and the aqueduct are constructed to turn on the identical centered pier, with the street bridge being somewhat downstream of the aqueduct.

 The street bridge carries a very engaged street and is assembled in the identical kind to all the other swing bridges along the canal with the deck of the bridge relaxing on an annular girder some 31 feet in diameter, and with a centered pivot and a roller route on which to turn. Sunk into the solid groundwork in the carrying pier is a smaller roller encompassing approximately   64 cast metal rollers. A toothed rack is bolted to the annular girder and this is set in shift to precede the bridge by the use of hydraulic pinions.  Gates are supplied at each end of the bridge to ...