Lansdowne Bridge

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This article is about the bridge in New South Wales. For the bridge in Pakistan, see
Lansdowne Bridge Rohri
.

Lansdowne Bridge
Clearance above
9.1 metres (30 ft)
History
DesignerDavid Lennox
Construction start1 January 1834 (1834-January-01)
Construction end1836
Opened26 January 1836 (1836-January-26)
Official nameLansdowne Bridge
TypeState heritage (built)
Criteriaundefined
Designated20 June 2000
Reference no.01472
TypeRoad Bridge
CategoryTransport – Land
BuildersDavid Lennox
Location
Map
References
[1][2][3][4]

The Lansdowne Bridge is a

Sir Richard Bourke
.

The bridge is owned by the state of New South Wales and is managed by the agency of Transport for NSW. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 20 June 2000.[5]

Description

The bridge is described in the NSW Heritage Register as: "A large

span is 110 feet (33.5 m) while the clearance above mean water level is 76 feet (23 m) at the centre. It has curved abutments and approaches, while the parapets and mouldings are simple and devoid of unnecessary ornamentation. Some of the radiating voussoirs are quite large in size measuring up to eight feet (2.4 m) in length."[5][6]

History

Lansdowne Bridge was designed and built from 1834 to 1836 by David Lennox.

Born in Ayr, Scotland in 1788, David Lennox was trained as a stonemason. He worked on the

Gloucester, United Kingdom
Bridge, where he learnt the sound construction principles he used on his later projects in NSW.

He emigrated to Australia in 1832.

Sir Richard Bourke
, describing him as "a very well qualified person recently arrived in the Colony."

Lansdowne Bridge and Bowlers Bridge

Acting on Mitchell's recommendation, Bourke provisionally appointed Lennox as a Sub-Inspector of Bridges at a salary of £120 ($240) per annum. Lennox's appointment was confirmed by London as Superintendent of Bridges in June 1833.[5] In 1832 Mitchell commissioned Lennox for a sum of £1,083 ($2,166)[7] to build a bridge "at the intersection of Prospect Creek and Southern Street",[5][8] which would replace the nearby "Bowler's Bridge", named after a local innkeeper.[9]

The

Hawkesbury sandstone used in building the bridge was quarried on the bank of George's River at present day East Hills, 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.[5] The bridge was constructed entirely by unskilled convicts, despite Lennox's numerous requests to Mitchell for skilled labourers.[9]

In July 1833 Lennox told Mitchell of a mutiny that had occurred at the quarry while he had been away on an inspection tour. Some of the convicts had rebelled and had consumed the contents of a nearby liquor still. Returning to the camp drunk they threatened to kill the supervisor and destroy the camp and quarrying equipment. The police from Liverpool were called and arrested the offenders. Retribution at Liverpool Court was swift and savage; those who were spared the chain gang received up to fifty lashes of the "cat".[5]

On 1 January 1834, Governor Bourke visited the site of the bridge to lay the foundation stone. Within hours of the laying of the inscription plate it was stolen. Lennox made arrangements to obtain a duplicate plate but the original was found and restored to the bridge.[5]

On 7 June 1834, Lennox applied for more labourers, the bridge being at a stage where the centring could commence. This was the construction of a rigid timber frame to hold each stone in place until the arch became self-supporting. It was a critical process and any inaccuracies would cause instability or collapse the arch.[5]

The bridge was completed a year later in late 1835. Upon being advised that the bridge was nearing completion, Governor Bourke selected 26 January 1836 for the official opening date, as this coincided with the 48th anniversary of the colony's foundation. The opening ceremony was held in front of a crowd of around 1,000.[8][9] However the bridge was not opened to traffic for several more months as the toll house was not complete. Once tolls started to be collected, however, the bridge soon recovered its cost, and in 1844 annual receipts were £685/1/4.[5][10]

Later, Governor Bourke wrote that the bridge had cost only £1,000 to build, compared to the £7,000 it would have taken to build a bridge of the same quality in England.[9]

In 1956, rather than employ the reinforced concrete beam bridge design that the Department of Main Roads normally used at that time, the DMR commenced construction of a duplicate bridge in the form of a concrete arch to carry southbound traffic on the Hume Highway. This bridge, completed in 1958, is a testament to the architectural and historical value of the original bridge.[11] Both bridges remain in use.

In 1973 the Lansdowne Bridge was recognised as being "one of the finest examples of Colonial Architecture in Australia".[8] In 1990, the Environmental Management Committee of Fairfield Council confirmed that the 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.[8][12]

It is listed on the Register of the National Estate[13] and on the National Historic Engineering Landmark list,[9] which states:

"Lansdowne Bridge is considered to be one of the finest examples of Colonial Architecture in Australia as well as David Lennox's masterpiece of design.[6] Lansdowne Bridge was built by convicts during 1834 to 1836. The sandstone arch has the largest span of any surviving masonry bridge in Australia. The size, appearance and durability make this bridge an outstanding example of colonial engineering."[5][14]

Heritage listing

It was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 20 June 2000, the register stating:[5]

"The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales.

Lansdowne Bridge is considered to be one of the finest examples of colonial architecture in Australia as well as David Lennox's masterpiece of design.[6] Lansdowne Bridge was built by convicts during 1834 to 1836.[5][14]

The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales.

The sandstone arch has the largest span of any surviving masonry bridge in Australia. The size, appearance and durability make this bridge an outstanding example of colonial engineering."[5][14]

See also

References

  1. The Sydney Monitor. Vol. VIII, no. 633. New South Wales, Australia. 3 January 1834. p. 2 (MORNING). Retrieved 11 September 2016 – via National Library of Australia
    .
  2. The Sydney Herald. Vol. III, no. 227. New South Wales, Australia. 30 December 1833. p. 2. Retrieved 30 December 2016 – via National Library of Australia
    .
  3. The Sydney Herald. Vol. VI, no. 442. New South Wales, Australia. 21 January 1836. p. 2. Retrieved 10 September 2016 – via National Library of Australia
    .
  4. ^ Historic buildings vol III Liverpool and Campbelltown. Cumberland County Council. 1963. pp. 47–51. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  5. ^
    Department of Planning & Environment. H01472. Retrieved 2 June 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence
    .
  6. ^ a b c Sheedy, D (1973). National Trust Classification Card - Lansdowne Bridge.
  7. The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser
    . Vol. XXX, no. 2192. 11 October 1832. p. 3 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ a b c d "Lansdowne Bridge over Prospect Creek". New South Wales Department of Roads and Maritime. 7 July 2014. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Lennox's Lansdowne Bridge" (PDF). The Institution of Engineers Australia. March 1986. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  10. ^ George 1982, p. 121.
  11. ISBN 0 7240 0439 4
    .
  12. ^ "Historical Archaeological Sites – Lansdowne Bridge" (PDF). Fairfield City Council. 15 July 1992. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  13. ISBN 978-0-333-33750-9. Archived
    from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  14. ^
    Fairfield Council
    , 1990

Bibliography

  • "Lansdowne Bridge". 2007.
  • Attraction Homepage (2007). "Lansdowne Bridge".
  • Environmental Management Committee - Fairfield Council (1990). Heritage Conservation in Fairfield City - Meeting notes.
  • George, Vance (1982). "The Lansdowne Bridge". Fairfield: a History of the District. pp. 115–122.
  • Sheedy, D. (1973). National Trust Classification Card - Lansdowne Bridge.

Attribution

This Wikipedia article contains material from Lansdowne Bridge, entry number 01472 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 2 June 2018.

External links

Media related to Lansdowne Bridge, Sydney at Wikimedia Commons

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