Friday 13 November 2009

Deptford Lift Bridge


This old postcard, issued by the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway, shows
Deptford "Lift" Bridge (about half-a-mile from New Cross Station) carrying the Deptford Wharf Branch line over the Grand Surrey Canal. The Bridge is 13 feet wide with a span of 31 feet 6 inches between the vertical cast-iron standards. It is raised to a height of 10 feet by means of chain and wheel gearing worked by hand power for the passage of barges using the canal.
Both branch line and canal are now gone - although it's hard to imagine such a hand-powered bridge surviving into the current era in any event.

2 comments:

knit nurse said...

Presumably that would have been on Surrey Canal Road? Great photo, thanks for sharing!

accountant said...

There is the remains of a similar lift bridge at the Snibston Discovery park in Coalville, Leicester. It was constructed by George Stephenson as part of the Leicster to Swannington Railway opened in 1832. I think it was originally located at West Bridge in Leicester.