Gunthorpe Bridge

Gunthorpe Bridge
Photo of New Gunthorpe Bridge
Coordinates	52.9862°N 0.9874°W / 52.9862; -0.9874
Carries	A6097
Crosses	River Trent
Characteristics
Longest span	38.1 metres (125 ft)
History
Opened	Old Bridge c1925. New Bridge c1927.
Location

Gunthorpe Bridge is a bridge over the River Trent at Gunthorpe, Nottinghamshire.

History

Gunthorpe Bridge Act 1870
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to authorise the construction of a Bridge over the river Trent in the county of Nottingham, and Roads and Approaches thereto, to be called "the Gunthorpe Bridge."
Citation	33 & 34 Vict. c. xxxii
Dates
Royal assent	20 June 1870
Other legislation
Repealed by	Nottinghamshire County Council (Gunthorpe Bridge) Act 1925
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Until 1875, the only way to cross the river was by ferry, or ford.

The Gunthorpe Bridge Company was formed in 1870 to build the bridge. A capital of £7,500 (equivalent to $910,000 in 2023),[1] was raised in £10 shares. The foundation stone was laid in 1873 and the bridge opened in 1875. It was built largely in iron.

The tolls were:

• horse and carriage 1/-,
• horse and wagon 6d,
• horse alone 3d,
• people and passengers 1d,
• motorcycles 3d,
• cars 1/-
• lorries 2/6,

Nottinghamshire County Council (Gunthorpe Bridge) Act 1925
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Citation	15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. lvii
Dates
Royal assent	31 July 1925
Other legislation
Repealed by	Nottinghamshire County Council Act 1985
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

It was only able to handle 6 tons of weight and with the advent of commercial vehicular traffic it was determined a modern structure was needed.[2] The Nottinghamshire County Council (Gunthorpe Bridge) Act 1925 (15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. lvii) empowered Nottinghamshire County Council to buy out the owners, demolish the bridge and replace it with the present one.

The current bridge is a three span, reinforced concrete arch bridge. It was built in 1927, 400 metres upstream from the old one, with new bypass roads for the Gunthorpe and East Bridgford villages.[3][4] The central arch spans 38.1 metres. The two side arches span 30.9 metres. Each of the three arches contains four ribs.[5]

See also

Next road crossing upstream	River Trent	Next road crossing downstream
Lady Bay Bridge  A6011	Gunthorpe Bridge  A6097  Grid reference SK680436	A617  Kelham Bridge
Next bridge upstream	River Trent	Next bridge downstream
Rectory Junction Viaduct	Gunthorpe Bridge  A6097  Grid reference SK680436	Averham Viaduct

• List of crossings of the River Trent

References

1. UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
2. "Trent Valley Way: Nottingham to Gunthorpe - Midlands Walk". Hill Explorer. Gunthorpe Toll Bridge information board
3. "Towns and Villages Around Nottingham | Gunthorpe". www.visitoruk.com.
4. "Geograph:: The old Gunthorpe Toll bridge (C) Alan Murray-Rust". www.geograph.org.uk.
5. Sprayed concrete technology: Simon A. Austin, American Concrete Institute, Sprayed Concrete Association. 1996