Rochester Bridge

Rochester Bridge was for centuries the lowest fixed crossing of the River Medway in Kent, southern England. There have been several generations of bridge at this spot, and the current "bridge" is in fact three separate bridges: two carrying the A2 road, one carrying the railway. The bridge links the towns of Strood and Rochester.

History

Roman

The Romans built a bridge across the River Medway as part of Watling Street, carrying traffic from London to Dover (the port for Continental Europe). This may have been the first bridge at the site, and the Roman engineers might have initially built a pontoon bridge to support and supply their invading armies; however this would have needed replacing by a stronger, more permanent bridge to support increased traffic. After Victorian engineers discovered the nine Roman foundations building a later bridge, it was learnt that the stone foundations were probably supporting a wooden structure.

Middle Ages

A wooden bridge existed in the middle ages since at least the year 960. The bridge was divided into sections of responsibility amongst local landowners and institutions. This worked for well, though despite partial rebuilding, the bridge fell into disrepair and collapses occurred with the worrying frequency of about once a year. In the winter of 1381 a large proportion of the bridge was carried away by the combined forces of melt water and ice.

1391–1856

A stone bridge was built by Sir John de Cobham and Sir Robert Knolles (or Knollys), finished in 1391. To ensure the maintenance of their new bridge, the two men instituted the Wardens and Commonalty of Rochester Bridge, two elected wardens with permission from Richard II to own land and use the income for the bridge. The Wardens and Commonalty received grants of land from Henry IV and Henry V, and the trust became very wealthy. This bridge made entirely of stone was so well maintained by this system that it lasted until 1856, when it had to be destroyed by Royal Engineers.

1856–1914

A cast iron bridge was built in 1856 to replace the stone bridge. One span was designed to swing open to allow river traffic, but the mechanism was never used and was eventually removed. The cast iron spans were below the road section, making the bridge relatively low and meant that passing traffic on the river had to navigate to line up with the top of the arch or risk striking the bridge.

Not every ship was successful and many collisions occurred. These took their toll on the bridge and an inspection in 1909 showed fractured ribs and missing bolts. After a relatively short life a new bridge was needed.

1914 to present day

The cast iron bridge was reconstructed at a cost of £95,887. The bridge opened for traffic on 14 May 1914 with new features to allow more clearance for the many boats that had to pass under it. The supporting arched trusses were built further apart and above the road section. In 1970 a second road bridge was opened immediately next to the first, to increase capacity. The old bridge underwent maintenance, completed in November 2006, to extend the lifespan another 30 years.

Railway bridge

The London, Chatham and Dover Railway built the first rail bridge (which opened on 29 March 1858) for its Chatham Main Line. Its local rival the South Eastern Railway also built a branch line from its nearby railway line in Strood across the Medway to its own Rochester station, opened on 20 July 1891, extended to Chatham Central on 1 March 1892, for which it built a massive bridge over the Medway. The two rivals merged under a Joint Managing Committee in 1899 to form the South Eastern and Chatham Railway, and subsequent rationalisation saw the SER's Chatham Central branch closed before World War I on 1 October 1911. However, in 1927 their Chatham Mainline was diverted over their rail bridge and the LCDR bridge left unused for decades until it was eventually demolished, the piles being used for a second road bridge.

Rochester Bridge Wardens and Rochester Bridge Trust

These days the road bridges are maintained by the Rochester Bridge Trust, the modern incarnation of Sir John de Cobham's Wardens and Commonalty of Rochester Bridge. The Trust still owns much of the land gifted to the Wardens and used its income to pay for the new bridges in 1856 (now the west bound lanes of the A2) and 1970 (east bound A2). The Trust also contributed to the building of the Medway Tunnel (1996), a few miles downstream, which it owns and will take charge of in 2021.

References

* [http://www.rbt.org.uk/index.htm Rochester Bridge Trust] Accessed 2006-09-05. History of the wardens and photos showing construction of current bridges and tunnel.
* [http://www.medway.gov.uk/index/leisure/localhistory/timeline/17891/18061.htm The story of Rochester Bridge] Medway Council website. Accessed 2006-09-05.

Further reading

*

External links

* [http://www.rbt.org.uk The Rochester Bridge Trust website]