Victoria Bridge, Manchester
| Victoria Bridge | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Carries | Victoria Bridge Street |
| Crosses | River Irwell |
| Locale | Manchester, England |
| Heritage status | Grade II listed structure |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Arch Bridge |
| History | |
| Opened | 20 June 1839 |
Coordinates: 53°29′05″N 2°14′46″W / 53.484854°N 2.245973°W
Victoria Bridge is a stone arch bridge in Greater Manchester, England. Completed in 1839 and named after Queen Victoria, it crosses the River Irwell, connecting Salford to Manchester.
The bridge replaced an earlier medieval structure, Salford Old Bridge, which dated from the 14th century. The old bridge was built on the site of an ancient ford, from which Salford took its name. Contemporary accounts of its design are complimentary, but by the 19th century its narrow construction was viewed as an impediment to traffic, and it was demolished. Construction of the new bridge began in 1838 and it was completed about a year later, at a cost of about £20,800. It was opened to traffic on 20 June 1839, although Queen Victoria did not visit it until October 1851.
Victoria Bridge is made from sandstone, and uses a single semi-elliptical arch of about 100 feet to cross the water below. It was declared a Grade II listed building in 1988.
The present structure replaced the 14th-century Salford Old Bridge, at the time the oldest in the region, Salford Old Bridge's exact age is unknown. The Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society estimated that it was built sometime around 1365 to 1368, as it appears in the will of Thomas del Bothe, a yeoman from Barton who bequeathed it £30. Salford Old Bridge was built at the site of a ford, from which the town took its name; Salford is derived from the Old English word Sealhford, meaning a ford by the willow trees or sallows, which at the time grew alongside the Irwell's banks.
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