Lansdowne Bridge

Lansdowne Bridge
Lansdowne Bridge in 2006
Coordinates	33°53′24″S 150°58′01″E / 33.89°S 150.966944°E / -33.89; 150.966944Coordinates: 33°53′24″S 150°58′01″E / 33.89°S 150.966944°E / -33.89; 150.966944
Carries	Cars and pedestrians
Crosses	Prospect Creek, New South Wales
Named for	Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne
Characteristics
Material	Sandstone
Total length	190 feet (58 m)
Width	30 feet (9.1 m)
Longest span	110 feet (34 m)
Clearance above	30 feet (9.1 m)
History
Designer	David Lennox
Construction begin	1 January 1834 (1834-January-01)
Construction end	1835
Opened	26 January 1836 (1836-January-26)

Lansdowne Bridge is a sandstone arch bridge located in Lansdowne, New South Wales. Designed by David Lennox in 1834 and opened in 1836, it has the largest span of any extant masonry bridge in Australia.

In 1832, the Surveyor-General at the time, Sir Thomas Mitchell, commissioned Lennox for a sum of £1083 to build a bridge at the intersection of Prospect Creek and Southern Street, which would replace the nearby "Bowler's Bridge" named after Lansdowne's local innkeeper. The sandstone used in designing the bridge was found in a quarry only 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from the proposed site of the bridge, allowing workers to row a punt to transport the stone to the construction site. On January 1, 1834, the foundation stone was laid. The bridge was constructed entirely by unskilled Australian convicts, despite Lennox's numerous requests to Mitchell for skilled labourers. The bridge was completed a year later in 1835, and opened on January 26, 1836, the 48th anniversary of the Colony of New South Wales, before a crowd of around 1,000. Later, Richard Bourke, the Governor of New South Wales, wrote that the bridge had cost only £1000 to build, compared to the £7000 it would have taken to build a bridge of the same quality in England.

In 1973, Australia recognized Lansdowne Bridge for being "one of the finest examples of Colonial Architecture in Australia". In 1990, the Environmental Management Committee Fairfield Council confirmed that Lansdowne Bridge had the largest span of all masonry bridges in Australia and in 1992 that it was an example of excellent construction, which should be preserved. Lansdowne Bridge is also listed on the Register of the National Estate and on the National Historic Engineering Landmark list.