The Iron Bridge

The Iron Bridge was constructed at Madeley Wood, linking the parishes of Madeley and Benthal. It has stood as a monument to the Industrial Revolution and to the ingenuity of its creator Abraham Darby 111.

The Design

It was designed by Shrewsbury architect Thomas Farnolls Pritchard, and consists of five semicircular ribs supporting a deck and rail. Two further rows of ribs support uprights and a circle between the ribs and stone abutments. An ornate centerpiece bears the words, erected in 1779.

Fragile Geology

Weighing 378 tons it spanned 100 feet across the River Severn. It was a triumph of engineering over the fragile geology of the Severn Gorge.

Subscribers

In the 1700's the only means of crossing the Severn was via the medieval bridge at Buildwas or by ferry. Writing to the Ironmaster John Wilkinson in 1773, Pritchard suggested the building of another bridge. This led to a list of subscribers who partitioned parliament with the idea. Abraham Darby 111 and his brother Samuel were two of those subscribers.

Conventional Methods

There were grave doubts about building a bridge in cast iron but parliament had agreed in principle. They stated the bridge could also be built using more conventional methods: stone, brick or even timber.

Dissent

There was a great deal of dissent amongst the Trustees who were against using cast iron. They eventually agreed to commission Abraham Darby 111 to build the bridge. It was made clear to Darby, however, that he alone bore the financial risk of such an escapade.

Lifetime of Debt

The initial cost for constructing the bridge was £3,250. This rose to £5,000 because of the need to build new roads and approaches. Most of this increase in expenditure was borne by the Coalbrookdale Company and Darby himself. It was a sad paradox for a man whose dream led to a lifetime of debt.

Original Drawings

Many aspects of the Iron Bridge are subject to a certain ambiguity. Pritchard's design was for a lower and wider bridge. Having died when work started in 1777, whose design was Darby working to? Had he himself altered Pritchard's original drawings? While there is no doubt that certain elements of the Iron Bridge bore Pritchard's hallmark, who designed the rest?

Construction Method

History has not recorded the exact method used in the construction of the Iron Bridge. No portrait has been handed down to posterity of its creator, Abraham Darby 111, a devout Quaker.

An Enigma

More than two centuries after the construction of the Iron Bridge visitors still flock to view this masterpiece of engineering. Is it the intrinsic beauty of it or the strength of its seemingly fragile form. Perhaps it is some quintessential element that defies description? Like its creator, the Iron Bridge remains an enigma.