Keadby Bridge

The Keadby Bridge is a rail and road rolling lift bridge, constructed between 1912 and 1916. It was designed by C A Rowlandson and J B Ball, with Sir William Arrol and Company as contractors, for the Great Central Railway. Minor alterations have occurred since its original construction. The bridge carries a double track railway on the wider southern section and a double carriageway road on the north side. It is built using steel framing on rusticated ashlar piers and blue brick abutments, featuring rusticated ashlar dressings. A brick engine room is also present.

The bridge’s structure comprises cutwater abutments and four piers, incorporating plinths, cornices and blocking courses. There are three main spans: two fixed western spans, each measuring 38.4 metres, and a moving eastern span of 45.7 metres. Further short spans include a 12.2-metre span for rolling and a 21.3-metre approach span, providing an overall length of 167 metres between abutments. The main spans utilize steel framed truss construction with three primary longitudinal girders, the central girder separating the road and railway sections.

The moving span is a Scherzer rolling lift type, employing a counterbalanced tail section that rolls back, raising the bridge nose to a near-vertical position. The rounded tail features a ballast tank rising over 15 metres above deck level, accompanied by steel frameworks housing the winding gear. Originally powered by a large storage battery fed by petrol-driven generators located in the engine room, the bridge later transitioned to mains electricity. The single-storey, two-cell engine room was disused and partially derelict at the time of resurvey, and boasts a north facade with doors and windows featuring iron glazing bars under segmental arches.

Alterations since construction include raising the top ties above the roadway to increase headroom, the addition of a cantilevered footpath on the north girder, and the removal of a battery house and wooden control cabin on the north side of the tail. The Keadby Bridge represented the Great Central Railway's most significant bridge project, replacing a 1866 swing bridge. At the time of construction, it was the first Scherzer bridge in Britain, the heaviest and longest in Europe, notable for its three girders. A plaque previously affixed to the eastern approach parapet commemorated the opening on May 21 1916, by the railway company chairmen and Lindsey County Council officials, who contributed to the road section’s construction. The bridge has not been lifted since 1956. The bridge is also situated within the parish of Gunness.