The Iron Bridge and Ironbridge Tavern - A Chronology

The 1810 Iron Bridge crossing the River Lea

The 1887 Proposal for a New Iron Bridge crossing the River Lea
Built by the Thames Ironworks Company in 1896

Also Known as the Barking Road Bridge or the Canning Town Bridge

A Chronology of the “Iron Bridge” over Bow Creek

Prior to 1809

Several Private Bridges

1809

Act passed for constructing a Road from East India Docks to Barking, including Authority for a New Bridge over the River Lea.

1809

Design by John Rennie for a single-span iron arch bridge (not implemented).

1810

First bridge built to a design by James Walker and Alfred Burges for the Commercial Road Turnpike Trust.

5-Span Iron Arches, 27 feet 6inches wide.

(See engraving above)

August 1871

Turnpike Trust wound up - Tolls abolished.

January 1878

Five proposed Schemes for a new bridge laid before the Poplar Board of Works.

March 1887

Violent collision by a Collier Barge severely damaged the old bridge, which had to be shored up.

1887/1889

Proposal for a new bridge on same alignment as the old one but widened to 55 feet, 150 feet single span.

(See plan above)

1893/1896

New Iron Bridge - designed under Alexander Binnie, Chief Engineer to London County Council,

and constructed by the Thames Ironworks & Shipbuilding Company.

December 1932

New Canning Town Bridge (aka Barking Road Bridge) constructed – new alignment to north of the Gas Bridge.

Designed by Rendel, Palmer & Tritton.

Single 195 feet skew span steel arch over River Lea,

84 feet width between parapets.

September 1934 – early 1935

The 1896 Iron Bridge Demolished.

Now the site of the Jubilee Footbridge utilising

the original bridge abutments.

The Gas Bridge

Built in 1870 to carry Gas and Water Mains across the River Lea.

The Railway Swing-Bridge

A Swing Bridge built across the River Lea in 1840/41 by the Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway Company to give access to the old East India Company Pepper Warehouse, east of Leamouth Road, which later became a goods yard for the Company and it’s successor the G.N.E.R.

[Often referred to on maps as a “Drawbridge”]