The Early Iron Bridges of Britain website is a personal project. It has no affiliation with any organization or society. The information given here reflects conditions at the time of the author's visit to the site.
When published sources are quoted, there are footnotes referencing the extensive bibliography. All the text and the photos herein are under copy write and must be credited. The photos may be copied for personal use, but they will have a copy write watermark to prevent commercial use. Credit must be given to the photographer, Anne Witherspoon.
95% of these bridges are on public rights of way. However, for those indicated as being on private land, permission of the owner MUST be obtained to visit them. Trespassing is not only illegal and thoughtless, but it unnecessarily antagonizes owners who, if asked, are almost always happy to show one their historic bridge.
The purpose of this website is to encourage the appreciation of an aspect of English heritage that is hidden in plain sight. The author's object is that of saving the survivors from demolition. From 1779 through the 1800's, wrought and cast iron bridges were being built throughout the British Isles. These often modest bridges personify the entrepreneurial energy of the Industrial Revolution by having been the first demonstration of the construction possibilities in the new English iron. These iron bridges are a tangible marker of the beginning of our own age of transportation and communication which has its roots in their construction.
There are still over 200 of these early iron bridges left throughout the United Kingdom waiting to be rediscovered. Some have always been celebrated, but many are now considered just quaint and creaky relics of a bygone era: the bane of the local surveyor. It is my hope, having learned their remarkable story and knowing where to find them, that you will enjoy seeking them out.