Description and History of Site:-

Keadby Bridge, officially named the King George V Bridge, is one of only two existing Scherzer rolling lift bridges in North Lincolnshire, the other being Corporation Bridge in Grimsby. The rolling lift concept was developed by William Scherzer (1858–1893), with the first bridges of this type constructed over the Chicago River in the year of his death.

Opened in 1916, Keadby Bridge carries the A18 road and a double-track railway over the River Trent. Its construction followed the opening of Immingham Docks, which necessitated replacing an adjacent 1866 rail-only swing bridge that had become inadequate for the greatly increased traffic. The original bridge had been built by the South Yorkshire Railway to provide access to the newly discovered ironstone deposits in Scunthorpe.

Keadby Bridge was built using the Scherzer rolling-lift bascule design, making it one of the first bridges of its kind in Britain and the heaviest in Europe at the time. The bridge deck rolls and rotates on a 163 ft (49.68 m) counterbalanced tail until the lifting span reaches near vertical. Designed by James Ball and constructed by Sir William Arrol & Company for the London and North Eastern Railway, the bridge consists of three main spans: two fixed spans measuring 134 ft (40.84 m) and 140 ft (42.67 m), and a lifting span providing a 150 ft (45.72 m) clear waterway across the navigation channel.

On the eastern bank, there are two secondary spans: a 70 ft (21.34 m) approach span and a 40 ft (12.19 m) span that supports the rolling of the lifting section. The total distance between abutments is 548 ft (167 m). All five spans rest on three principal lattice girders, with the central girder positioned between the road and railway decks. The bridge contains approximately 3,000 tons of steel.

Originally, the bridge was electrically operated using storage batteries charged by petrol-driven generators. However, in 1960, due to rising road traffic and declining river traffic, the bascule was permanently fixed in the closed position. The subsequent opening of the nearby M180 motorway has greatly reduced road traffic across the bridge.

Further Reading and References:-

https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MLS7331&resourceID=1034
Labrum E A, Civil Engineering Heritage - Eastern and Central England, Thomas Telford, 1994
Ball J B, Keadby Bridge. Mm. Proc. Instn Civ. Engrs Part 1 1916 203 Nov. 33.
Anon, The Engineer, Vol 142, 1926, p488
Wright N R, Lincolnshire's Industrial Heritage - A Guide, Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, 2004, NL8-p28
McFetrich, George (Ed). ‘The Navigable Waterways of Nottinghamshire: A Survey in Industrial Archaeology’. University of Nottingham, Delegacy for Extra-Mural Studies, Department of Adult Education, Workers' Educational Association, East Midlands District, 1981

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Key Words :- combined road and railway Scherzer lifting bridge

Viewing the Site :- Can be viewed from the public footpath

Address :- A18, Gunness, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, DN15 8SX
Grid Ref :- SE8409310652
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.585721 , Long -0.731166
Local Authority :- North Lincolnshire District Council
Pre 1974 County :- Lincolnshire - Lindsey
Site Status :- Listed - Grade II
Historic England List No - 1067725,
Site Condition :- Operational site, in use for original purpose
Site Dates :- 1916 -
Contributor :- John Suter - 25 August 2020

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © John Suter