The Ha'penny Bridge - Dublin, Ireland
N 53° 20.779 W 006° 15.786
29U E 682181 N 5914288
This is the best known of Dublin's bridges. It was built in 1816 and was the first iron bridge in Ireland. It is a single span structure with cast iron railings and decorative lamps.
Waymark Code: WMFX7F
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Date Posted: 12/11/2012
Views: 24
The Tourist Information Dublin website
[visit
link] tells us:
"The Ha'penny Bridge was built in
1816 between Capel Street and O'Connell Street, to replace the poor ferry
service across the river Liffey.
It has a total length of 43 metres
and it is 3.66 metres wide.
The bridge's name, The Ha'penny (or
Halfpenny) Bridge refers to the toll charged to users of the bridge when it was
built initially. The toll was increased to one and a half pence before it was
finally dropped in 1919.
The Bridge was designed by John
Windsor and cost £3,894.7s.11½d. it was manufactured in Coalbrookdale in
Shropshire, UK. It is one of the oldest cast-iron bridges in the
world.
It was originally named Wellington
Bridge, after the Dublin born duke who had trounced Napoleon. iIt's official
name was changed to, and is still, the Liffey Bridge (Droichead na Life in
Irish), but it is still always referred to as the Ha'penny
Bridge.
The bridge was the only pedestrian
bridge on the Liffey until the new Millenium bridge opened in
2000.
In 2001 there were 27,000 people
crossing the bridge on a daily basis so the bridge was closed for structural
repair and renovations. It was reopened 2003. The work was executed by Harland
and Wolff, who built the Titanic."
The Archiseek website [visit
link] adds:
"Accepted as the symbol of Dublin,
the Ha’penny Bridge (offically Wellington Bridge after the ‘Iron Duke’) was
opened in 1816. Cast at Coalbrookdale in Shropshire in England, the bridge
acquired its unofficial moniker from the toll paid to cross the river – one old
half penny. The bridge was the only pedestrian bridge on the Liffey until the
Millennium bridge further up was opened in 2000.
The bridge has three lamps supported
by curved ironwork over the walkway. In a bad state of repair, the bridge was
closed in 2001 for major repair. It was reopened, with its original paint colour
restored and changed made at the ends to allow standing room for pedestrians
before crossing the road. The original line of the decking was
restored."
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