LCDR Blackfriars Rail Bridge - 1864 - Blackfriars Bridge, London, UK
N 51° 30.513 W 000° 06.251
30U E 700949 N 5710356
In 1864 this bridge was built across the River Thames into Blackfriars station on the north side. It survived until 1984 when it was dismantled. All that remain today are pillars in the river and this magnificent cast iron date marker.
Waymark Code: WMGYXH
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 04/25/2013
Views: 12
The date marker can be seen from
Blackfriars Bridge that crosses the river a few tens of metres to the west. The
co-ordinates are given for a point on that bridge.
The Abandoned
Stations website tells us about the rail
crossings:
"Two railway bridges crossed the
River Thames side-by-side to Blackfriars Station formerly named St Paul's. The
downstream (easternmost) bridge of 1886, is currently being used by Thameslink
trains. The older 1864 bridge was dismantled in 1985, leaving only four sets of
quadruple-clustered cylindrical piers with foliated capitals standing clear of
the water on granite plinths that stand on cast iron cylinders filled with
concrete. Joseph Cubitt and F T Turner designed the bridge, which was a lattice
girder structure.
In 1860 the London Chatham &
Dover Railway (LDCR) was allowed to build an extension from its existing station
at Beckenham to Ludgate Hill in the City of London. The new railway line would
cross the Thames beside Blackfriars Bridge. As Joseph Cubitt was rebuilding the
road bridge, it was agreed that he should design both bridges. Work started on
the railway bridge in 1862 and the bridge and the station, then called St
Paul's, opened in 1864.
The wrought-iron girder railway
bridge has spans supported by masonry abutments and composite piers. Since the
bridge formed part of St Paul's Station it was given a great deal of cast-iron
ornamentation. The supports had ornate Romanesque capitals and decorated with
large, brightly coloured shields incorporating the coat of arms of the
LCDR.
The Blackfriars Railway Bridge
carried only four tracks and 20 years later it was decided to construct a second
railway bridge beside the first. Designed by W. Mills, the new wrought-iron
bridge opened in 1886. Its river spans match the old bridge, and on the
downstream side the bridge is decorated with pulpit turrets, while on the
upstream side there are Gothic-style cast-iron parapets. Following the
re-organisation of the railways in 1923, the new Southern Railway decided to
concentrate all its long-distance and Continental traffic at Waterloo and
Victoria. As a result St Paul's Station lost all but its local and suburban
services.
In 1937 St Paul's Station was
renamed Blackfriars Station and the St Paul's Railway Bridge lost its identity
to become just a widening of Blackfriars Railway Bridge. However, by the
mid-20th century the old bridge was considered too weak to carry modern trains
and the obsolete railway bridge was eventually dismantled in 1984 and its
approach tracks removed. The land was taken up to provide offices such as the
Daily Express building to the south, which is somewhat thin as a
result.
Today all that is left are the
ornate red columns of the original bridge. One of the cast-iron shields bearing
the insignia of the LCDR can now be seen on display on the South Bank having
been beautifully restored."
The southern abutment, where this
shield is mounted, is Grade II listed with the entry at the English
Heritage website telling us:
"Abutment. 1862-64. By Joseph
Cubitt. For the London, Chatham and Dover Railway Company. Abutments of stone
faced with Portland stone from Charles Labelye's Westminster Bridge of 1738-49.
HISTORICAL NOTE: built for the London, Chatham and Dover Railway Company to
support the line on the Beckenham to Ludgate Hill route. As the bridge was to
form part of the company's Blackfriars Station it was given good cast-iron
ornament; the large shields flanking the way on the Southwark side bear the
company's crest and title in full. These were restored c1990. The abutment to
the south shore falls within the London Borough of Southwark. Joseph Cubitt
designed Blackfriars Road Bridge to the west."