Beales Lane Footbridge Over The River Wey

WEYBRIDGE

BEALES LANE FOOTBRIDGE OVER THE RIVER WEY

II

River footbridge. Later C19, built between 1868 and 1898. It carries a footpath over the river Wey from Beales Lane to Whittet's Ait. EXTERIOR: Constructed of cast and wrought iron with a concrete aggregate deck and approach. Span of 18m, comprising a segmental arch with twelve wrought iron latticed panels, each panel capped with iron ball finials and alternate panels have iron brackets to the base. The ends have square cast iron piers with pyramidal tops with ball finials. The pathway and approach is of cement aggregate. The southern approach retains four tapering cast iron bollards, three of which have a central ball-shaped projection and ball finials. The northern end has three identical cast iron bollards. HISTORY: The exact date of construction is not at present known and the bridge itself is not dated. Designs, held in the Surrey History Centre, for a very similar bridge, which was to have been built further upstream at Byfleet, were dated 1846 but never constructed. The Tithe map of 1844 shows a bridge in this position. The Ordnance Survey map of 1868 shows it as disused and the map of 1898 shows it as being in use again, suggesting the bridge was built between 1868 and 1898. SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: A later C19 single span cast and wrought iron footbridge retaining also its approach path furniture, an intact and architecturally embellished example of an uncommon building type.