James Dredge, Sr.

James Dredge (1794–1863) was an English civil engineer, architect and brewer. He was born in Bath and was a brewer by trade for much of his life. He designed over 50 bridges and piers in his later years, such as the Victoria Bridge in Bath in 1836, and the Birnbeck Pier in Weston-super-Mare in 1845 (although not built due to early damage).

He patented the 'taper principle' on his Birnbeck Pier. This method was based on using wrought iron suspension chains rather than cables, using inclined hangers, increasing the number of bars, starting with one at the centre and increasing by plus one along each bar's placement within the support system. This method not only weighed less weight but also diminished construction duration. This was a more common practice in suspension bridges for which he received notability. Dredge's bridge design was considered "a very significant yet relatively short-lived phase in suspension bridge development". Other bridges attributed to Dredge include the Bridge of Oich along the A82 road in Highland (1854); Ness Islands suspension bridges, since rebuilt in 1975; Victoria Bridge and Lochybridge in Fort William (since replaced); Stowell Park Bridge on Kennet & Avon Canal, northwest of Pewsey, Wiltshire; and the proposal for the Menai Suspension Bridge on Anglesey (1839). Of the several Dredge-patent bridges built in Ulster, almost none are still in existence; the Ballievey Bridge, destroyed in 1988 under the weight of a lorry, was the only one within the Ulster group which was not a footbridge.

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