BUILDWAS
It is interesting to note that originally beside this river crossing was a Cistercian Abbey because it was the Cistercian Order that first invented the blast furnace and they were famous for their iron works. A medieval stone bridge here was the only crossing until one reached the ancient bridge nine miles down stream at Bridge North. In 1818 Thomas Telford designed his first iron bridge to replace the one damaged by the historic 1795 flood on the Severn. It was a radical new design to span 130 feet. Its outer ribs rose to the top of the parapet railings and were connected with the lower ribs by dovetailed king posts. The abutments were of stone. However, the underlying soils were unstable and Telford’s bridge was replaced in 1905.