Rail Bridge Over the River Parrett is a Grade II* listed building in the Somerset local planning authority area, England. First listed on 31 January 1994. A Victorian Rail bridge.

Rail Bridge Over the River Parrett

WRENN ID
first-lancet-mint
Grade
II*
Local Planning Authority
Somerset
Constituency
Bridgwater MP: Sir Ashley Fox (Con)
Country
England
Date first listed
31 January 1994
Type
Rail bridge
Period
Victorian
Address
Rail Bridge Over the River Parrett, West Quay, Bridgwater
OS grid reference
ST 299 374
Coordinates
51.13175, -3.00183
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The rail bridge over the River Parrett in Bridgwater is a telescopic structure built in 1871, made of cast iron and steel. It was designed to extend the Bristol and Exeter Railway across the river to the coal yard and harbour, while still allowing sailing vessels to navigate upstream to the town bridge. The central section of the bridge could be rolled back onto the east bank. Originally, a steam engine powered the mechanism from a small brick building at the eastern end, which has since been removed. A portion of the railway line still exists on the west bank. This bridge is a rare example of its kind.

Local climate

Rail Bridge Over the River Parrett receives an average of 830 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 55% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 65% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 26 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 72% of listed buildings. Of these, 9 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
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