After our few days on the visitor moorings at Keadby on the canal it was time to head out on to the Trent. Several boats went out earlier than us as they needed the first of flood to get them to Torksey. We were only heading to West Stockwith for the Chesterfield Canal so we could leave an hour or so later.
You can clearly see the two sets of gates here. The taller ones for when the river is higher than the canal and shorter ones for when river levels are below that of the canal. We both remembered past times we have left this lock. The first a ship was bearing down on us to swing for the berth by Keadby Bridge and another time we turned left instead of right to head down the Trent to the Humber, Hull and the River Hull to Beverley.
This time it was turn right in good weather with no ships and headed the short distance to the Keadby Bridge, or more properly the King George V bridge.
From this picture you can see that the navigable arches are to the right, eastern side, where the deeper water on the outside of the bend are. However the opening is in the middle leaving only one arch to the right really usable at other than high water.
The first bridge was a rail only bridge that was built by the South Yorkshire Railway, that also owned the River Dun Navigation from Keadby to Sheffield at the time. Iron ore had been discovered in North Lincolnshire in 1855. The bed was 25' thick and only 2 to 3 feet below the surface. It was 35 to 45% iron ore and also contained enough lime to also provide the flux. From the east bank of the proposed bridge the Trent, Ancholme and Grimsby Railway would run through this district, with a branch to aTrent Wharf , to Barnetby where it would join the line to Grimsby. There was massive opposition to the idea of building a bridge as a great impediment to navigation and to a block on trade to the port of Gainsborough and above on the Trent and other navigations off it. However it obtained Parliamentary approval in 1861. Work had started by May 1862 with the sinking of iron cylinders to form the foundation of the piers. Men then descend down to ensure the pumps were sucking water and sand. the iron work just kept sinking as no rock bottom was found. Even at this stage there were problems for shipping as at least once the cylinders were dislodged by vessels colliding with them and dislodging them and the vessels sinking. It is said that after this happened one time they just continued driving piles through the wreck! The bridge was finally opened in May 1864. It was tested by running 6 engines weighing 160 tons over it. In the picture above you can see at least 16 wagons in the train crossing. It was said that no ship with a foreign Master would now navigate to Gainsborough due to the difficulties of transiting the bridge.
In 1878 evidence was given in opposition to another railway bridge being built between Keadby and Gainsborough at Wildsworth which is between Owston Ferry and West Stockwith. In the end the Bill did not clear Parliament as they realised that they had just passed the Keadby Bridge on the nod, with no real enquiry being made into the construction and effects of the bridge. In the course of the enquiry some interesting figures were given. In 1877 153 coastwise vessels and 3073 river vessels passed the site of the proposed new bridge. In total there was 175,849 tons. The Trent Commissioner gave figures for Gainsborough as 191, 459 tons and 92,907 tons passing Wildsworth. Opposition also stated that as the river was more shallow and still running fast at the new bridge it would be even a worse situation than Keadby.
The piling around the eastern arches was extended after many many incidents sinkings and deaths right from the start of construction. The plan was for the openings to be 68' wide but as built were even smaller at 60'. The bridge was at a shallow spot of the river so many vessels had to wait here for sufficient water. With a tide running vessels swung head to tide and dropped their anchors to kedge back through the opening. The holding ground here was notoriously poor so if the anchor didn't hold, or the bow got across the current the boat was liable to get dashed on the piers. Steam powered vessels had to come head to tide about a mile from the bridge and allow all un-powered vessels to pass first before proceeding. Even greater problems were presented to tugs towing strings of barges or keels as with the narrow openings it must have been extremely difficult to judge getting the tug trough the 'hole' never mind the tows strung out behind them. And often they didn't with subsequent loss of vessels and lives. Similar to narrow boat skippers many keel and sloop master had to have their wives and families as crew aboard, so many women and children were lost. The next major river bridge in the area, the Ouse bridge near Goole benefited from this experience and was built with 120' gap.
It wasn't the loss of boats and lives that prompted the decision to build a new bridge but the increasing costs of maintenance of the old bridge. Permissions were sort in 1909 and by June 1912 always in place and the contracts were awarded. The construction was given to Sir William Arrol and Co of Glasgow and they would be using a design of the Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Co. of Chicago.The Railway Company at first would not entertain having a road bridge alongside. To be fair to them they were expected to pay for it. Once the local councils realised the the road vehicle needed a more direct and speedy route they all chipped in to have the road incorporated in the design. The bridge was started later in 1912 by sinking 4 caissons into the river and sinking them 50 below water level using compressed air. Each was 90' deep and 20' diameter. The opening span was a much more accommodating 120 ft. The coming of WWI delayed its completion and it was not opened until May 1916.
The bridge had been tested in January 1916 using 4 locos weighing 130 tons each as well as two traction engines and their 40 ton tenders, 730 tons in all. It had cost a total of £150,000. (£13 million today). The new bridge is 200 feet from the old one that was to be demolished but due to the war was retained in case of emergency. It was maintained at least until mid 1920 but must have gone in the 1920's and certainly wasn't there by WWII. On the day of the opening the first train was driven by a Mr. Duke of Mexborough and on the footplate with him was Joshua Slowan of Barnetby. He had been an engine driver for 55 years and was not 76, and it was he who had been the driver over the old bridge when it opened.
Accidents continued to occur but not with the same frequency, which I'm sure was due to the wider opening for vessels in the bridge, but later for the reduction in numbers of vessels accessing the up river wharves. Ships got bigger, and road transport increased. By 1953 moves were being made to have the bridge remain closed to reduce maintenance costs and delays to road traffic. Figures were given that in 1953 the bridge was lifted 25 times and caused 7 hours and 40 minutes of delays, but 2 hours of these were for defects with the bridge. In 1954 it was lifted 38 times and 12 hours 47 minutes of delays. The loss of navigation was strongly contested by interested parties but inevitably was left shut since 1956. Navigation continued and sea going vessels were still berthing at Beckingham, just by Gainsborough in early 1990's it was the fact the ships just got too big to pass under the fixed bridge, and turn in the upper Trent, along with road transport that finally stopped the trade. How knows it may return one day.
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