Montford Bridge

Montford Bridge
Montford Bridge
Montford Bridge  Montford Bridge shown within Shropshire
OS grid reference	SJ431152
Civil parish	Montford
Unitary authority	Shropshire
Ceremonial county	Shropshire
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SHREWSBURY
Postcode district	SY4
Dialling code	01743
Police	West Mercia
Fire	Shropshire
Ambulance	West Midlands
EU Parliament	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Shrewsbury and Atcham
List of places UK England Shropshire

Coordinates: 52°43′55″N 2°50′31″W / 52.732°N 2.842°W / 52.732; -2.842

Montford Bridge is a village in Shropshire, England, and also the name of the bridge in that village.

Montford Bridge, 1794

It lies on the River Severn and is close to the town of Shrewsbury. Most of the village is in the Montford parish, but some is covered by the Bicton parish.

The A5 road used to run through the village (over the Montford Bridge), but has been diverted via the Shrewsbury bypass. There are still some services, such as a shop (closed as of 2011) and a pub (the Wingfield Arms), in the village.

The bridge was Thomas Telford's first bridge design. It was built by John Carline Jr and John Tilley between 1790 and 1792. It has three masonry elliptical arch spans, two of 55 ft, and the central one of 58 ft.^[1]

They are built of red sandstone obtained from Nesscliffe Hill four miles distant. The bridge cost £5,800 to build.^[2] Regarding the bridge, Telford wrote:^[2]

The contractors, Messrs. Carline and Tilley, being experienced workmen, it has proved a substantial edifice, having been completed upwards of forty years, and remaining quite perfect

It was widened in 1963 by adding a reinforced concrete slab. The bridge is now a Grade II listed building.^[3][4]

See also

• Crossings of the River Severn

References

Bibliography

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Montford Bridge.

• Cragg, R., Civil Engineering Heritage - Wales & West Central England, Thomas Telford Publishing, 1997, ISBN 0-7277-2576-9