Anatomy of a Bridge - I K Brunel's skew bridge at Hanwell
I K Brunel’s 1838 skew bridge in West London, where the Great Western Railway crossed the Uxbridge Turnpike at Hanwell, caused him a level of trouble out of all proportion to its size and cost. Determined to make a flamboyant architectural statement, he provided the bridge with follies and a proscenium arch portico making it a memorable landmark for travellers on the road between Hanwell and Southall.
Within months of completion the bridge suffered a failure in one of the main girders. There followed more failures; a workman was killed and there was drama and conflict over the repairs. Then the bridge needed an almost complete rebuild following a devastating fire, and mention of its woes reached the national press.
Reconstruction and widenings followed, and the structure today bears no resemblance to the fairly radical crossing designed by Brunel, although a few artefacts from his original bridge remain. This study traces the history of the bridge from its turbulent beginnings in the early days of the Railway Age, and tells the story of Brunel’s ‘Little Known Masterpiece’.
I K Brunel’s 1838 skew bridge in West London, where the Great Western Railway crossed the Uxbridge Turnpike at Hanwell, caused him a level of trouble out of all proportion to its size and cost. Determined to make a flamboyant architectural statement, he provided the bridge with follies and a proscenium arch portico making it a memorable landmark for travellers on the road between Hanwell and Southall.
Within months of completion the bridge suffered a failure in one of the main girders. There followed more failures; a workman was killed and there was drama and conflict over the repairs. Then the bridge needed an almost complete rebuild following a devastating fire, and mention of its woes reached the national press.
Reconstruction and widenings followed, and the structure today bears no resemblance to the fairly radical crossing designed by Brunel, although a few artefacts from his original bridge remain. This study traces the history of the bridge from its turbulent beginnings in the early days of the Railway Age, and tells the story of Brunel’s ‘Little Known Masterpiece’.