View source for Warrington Transporter Bridge

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox bridge
| bridge_name = Warrington Transporter Bridge
| image = Wartranny.jpg
| other_name = Bank Quay Transporter Bridge
| carries = Vehicles<br />Pedestrians
| crosses = [[River Mersey]]
| locale = [[Warrington]]
| owner = Warrington Borough Council
| maint = 
| architect = 
| designer = William Henry Hunter
| engineering = 
| design = [[Transporter Bridge]]
| material = Steel
| length = 103 m (339 ft)
| width = 9 m (30 ft)
| height = 27 m (89 ft)
| mainspan = 61 m (200 ft)
| spans =
| pierswater = 
| load = 
| below = 23 m (76 ft)
| builder = [[Sir William Arrol & Co.]]
| begin = 1913
| complete =
| cost = 
| open = 1916
| inaugurated = 
| toll =
| heritage = Grade II*
| closed = 1964
| replaces =
| coordinates = {{coord|53.3838|-2.6075|display=inline,title}}
}}
The '''Warrington Transporter Bridge''' (or '''Bank Quay Transporter Bridge''') is a structural steel [[transporter bridge]] across the [[River Mersey]] in [[Warrington]], Cheshire, England.

==Design==
It was designed by William Henry Hunter and built by [[Sir William Arrol & Co.]] The bridge has a span of {{convert|200|ft|abbr=on}}, is {{convert|30|ft|abbr=on}} wide, {{convert|76|ft|abbr=on}} feet above high water level, with an overall length of {{convert|339|ft|abbr=on}} feet and a total height of {{convert|89|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Rennison">Rennison, p. 267</ref>

==History==
It was constructed in 1916/7 <ref>still under construction at January 1917  (<i>Liverpool Echo</i> 3 January 1917)</ref> and fell into disuse in approximately 1964. The bridge was constructed to connect the two parts of the large [[chemical plant|chemical]] and [[soapmaking#Traditional soap making|soap works]] of [[Joseph Crosfield|Joseph Crosfield and Sons]]. It was originally designed to carry rail vehicles up to {{convert|18|LT|t|abbr=in}} in weight, and was converted for road vehicles in 1940. In 1953, it was further modified to carry loads of up to {{convert|30|LT|t|abbr=in}}.<ref name="Rennison"/>

It was the second of two transporter bridges across the Mersey at Warrington. The [[Messrs. Crosfield’s Transporter Bridge|first]] was erected in 1906 and opened in 1907 <ref><i>Runcorn Examiner</i> 18 May 1907</ref> slightly to the north of the existing bridge and was later transformed into a pipeline bridge, before it was demolished.

It is one of three remaining such bridges in the UK.

==Regeneration==
[[File:Bank Quay Transporter Bridge.jpg|thumb|left|The bridge with signs of disrepair]]
The bridge is recorded in the [[National Heritage List for England]] as a designated Grade&nbsp;II* [[Listed building#England and Wales|listed building]],<ref>{{NHLE |num= 1139433|desc= Transporter Bridge to part of Joseph Crosfield and Sons Ltd's works, Warrington|accessdate= 28 August 2012|mode=cs2}}</ref> and because of its poor condition it is on the [[Heritage at Risk Register]].<ref>{{Citation | url = http://risk.english-heritage.org.uk/register.aspx?id=963&rt=0&pn=1&st=a&ctype=all&crit=transporter| title = Bank Quay Transporter Bridge, Warrington| access-date = 28 August 2012| publisher = [[English Heritage]]}}</ref>  The bridge is protected as a [[scheduled monument|Scheduled Ancient Monument]].<ref>{{NHLE |num= 1006768|desc= Bank Quay Transporter Bridge, Warrington|accessdate= 28 August 2012|mode=cs2|fewer-links=x}}</ref>

A local group called Friends of Warrington Transporter Bridge (FoWTB) was formed in April 2015 to act as the independent voice of the bridge. The group is liaising with other interest groups to safeguard the future of the bridge and its industrial heritage status.<ref name=FoWB>{{cite web|title=Warrington Transporter Bridge|url=http://www.warringtontransporterbridge.co.uk/history.html|publisher=Friends of Warrington Transporter Bridge|access-date=14 June 2015|mode=cs2}}</ref> FoWTB has been featured on the local BBC News programme, ''[[North West Tonight]]''<ref>{{cite web|title=Warrington Transporter Bridge on North West Tonight|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBMepDzA4_0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/yBMepDzA4_0 |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|website=YouTube|access-date=18 June 2015|mode=cs2}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and has set up a website for the bridge<ref name=FoWB/> along with ''Facebook'' and ''Twitter'' pages. In 2016, the bridge was nominated for the [[Institution of Civil Engineers]] North West Heritage Award.<ref>{{Citation | url = https://www.ice.org.uk/near-you/uk/north-west/awards/north-west-civil-engineering-awards| title = North West - civil engineering awards| access-date = 15 February 2016| publisher = [[Institution of Civil Engineers]]}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Grade I and II* listed buildings in Warrington]]
*[[List of Scheduled Monuments in Cheshire (post-1539)]]
{{clear left}}
== References ==
{{Portal|Transport|Engineering|Cheshire}}
{{Reflist|30em}}
;Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
* Rennison, R.W., ''"Civil Engineering Heritage : Northern England"'', Thomas Telford Publishing, 2nd edn., 1996, {{ISBN|0-7277-2518-1}}
* Thompson, Dave, ''"Bridging the Years"'', MailBook Publishing, 2000
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{cc}}
* [http://www.WarringtonTransporterBridge.co.uk Official website]
{{oscoor gbx|SJ59688761}}
* [https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3019 Picture on geograph]
* [https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/heritage-at-risk/search-register/list-entry/46484 "Bank Quay transporter bridge, Warrington – Warrington (UA)"], English Heritage, [[Heritage at Risk Register]]
* {{EHbarName|Warrington+Transporter}}

[[Category:Transporter bridges]]
[[Category:Bridges completed in 1915]]
[[Category:Bridges in Cheshire]]
[[Category:Grade II* listed buildings in Cheshire]]
[[Category:Grade II* listed bridges in England]]
[[Category:Scheduled monuments in Cheshire]]
[[Category:River Mersey]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Warrington]]
[[Category:Bridges across the River Mersey]]