Historic bridges · South West England
Royal Albert Bridge
Also known as: Pons Albert Riel
Royal Albert Bridge — a Grade I-listed bridge in england-south-west, United Kingdom.
Graham Horn — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 15 min–30 min
- Free entry
- Dog-friendly
About
Royal Albert Bridge is a Grade I-listed building in england-south-west, United Kingdom. Grade I status is conferred by Historic England (or Cadw, Historic Environment Scotland or NIEA equivalents) on buildings of exceptional national interest. See the linked Wikipedia article for full historical and architectural details.
Photo gallery
Heritage listing
The Royal Albert Bridge is a railway bridge which spans the River Tamar in England, between Plymouth, Devon and Saltash, Cornwall. Its unique design consists of two 455-foot (138.7 m) lenticular iron trusses 100 feet (30.5 m) above the water and conventional plate-girder approach spans. Its total length is 2,187.5 feet (666.8 m). It carries the Cornish Main Line railway in and out of Cornwall and is adjacent to the Tamar Bridge, which opened in 1961 to carry the A38 road. The Royal Albert Bridge was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Surveying started in 1848 and construction commenced in 1854. The first main span was positioned in 1857 and the completed bridge was opened by Prince Albert on 2 May 1859.
From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
The Royal Albert Bridge is a railway bridge which spans the River Tamar in England, between Plymouth, Devon and Saltash, Cornwall. Its unique design consists of two 455-foot (138.7 m) lenticular iron trusses 100 feet (30.5 m) above the water and conventional plate-girder approach spans. Its total length is 2,187.5 feet (666.8 m). It carries the Cornish Main Line railway in and out of Cornwall and is adjacent to the Tamar Bridge, which opened in 1961 to carry the A38 road. The Royal Albert Bridge was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Surveying started in 1848 and construction commenced in 1854. The first main span was positioned in 1857 and the completed bridge was opened by Prince Albert on 2 May 1859. Brunel died later that year and his name was then placed above the portals at either end of the bridge as a memorial. During the 20th century, the approach spans were replaced, and the main spans strengthened. It has attracted sightseers since its construction, appearing in many paintings, photographs, guidebooks, postage stamps and on the UK's £2 coin. Anniversary celebrations took place in 1959 and 2009.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
Architecture
The structure was the third in a series of three large wrought iron bridges built in the middle of the 19th century. It was influenced by the preceding two, both of which had been designed by Robert Stephenson. The two central sections of Brunel's bridge are novel adaptations of the design Stephenson employed for the High Level Bridge across the River Tyne in Newcastle Upon Tyne in 1849. Brunel was present when Stephenson raised the girders of his Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait in the same year. From 1849 to 1853 Brunel was erecting an iron bridge of his own; the Chepstow Railway Bridge carried the South Wales Railway across the River Wye and featured a main truss of 300 ft with a…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 50.4076, -4.2033
- District
- Cornwall
- Parish
- Saltash
- Postcode
- PL12 4GT
- Parliamentary constituency
- South East Cornwall
- Established
- 1859
- Opening
- 2 May 1859
- Official site
- www.tamarprotectionsociety.org.uk
Sources
- wikidata: Q1570586 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Royal Albert Bridge (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Royal Albert Bridge?
- Royal Albert Bridge is in South-West England, United Kingdom (postcode PL12 4GT), in the parish of Saltash.
- Is Royal Albert Bridge a listed building?
- Royal Albert Bridge is officially recognised as Grade I listed.
- Is Royal Albert Bridge free to visit?
- Yes, Royal Albert Bridge is free to enter.
- How do I get to Royal Albert Bridge?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode PL12 4GT. It sits within the South East Cornwall parliamentary constituency.