Town Bridge

Town bridge, dated 1883, designed by R C Else and G B Laffan and constructed by George Moss of Liverpool. The bridge features rough ashlar limestone abutments, Ham Hill stone piers, and steel girders with cast-iron railings, lamps, and plaques. It has seven segmental arches with diagonal trellised spandrels supporting the single span road bridge, which has a tarmac surface and is flanked by pavements. In the center of the outer arches are plaques displaying the town crest and the inscription "Erected 1883. W T Holland, Mayor." The rectangular-section piers at each corner have recessed panels and moulded cornices with shallow-pitched tops. There are twelve sections of railings between the piers, with two sections curving away to the sides, articulated by cast-iron columns featuring spiral moulding. The railings are joined in pairs by semicircular arches, reversed at the base, which connect to the handrail and plinth. Each pair is linked at impost level and by a central horizontal rail with spikes above and below. The four columns at the ends are octagonal with recessed panels and pyramidal tops. The piers support 20th-century restored cast-iron lamps, and the central columns of the railings have bases for former lamps. The original stone bridge was replaced by one cast in Coalbrookdale in 1797, which was then replaced by the current structure.