25108
Looking down the River Avon towards the Grade II Listed Rossiter Road Railway Bridge (also known as Avon Bridge) in Bath, Somerset.
First built in 1840 for the Great Western Railway and designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, but mainly rebuilt in 1878, strengthened in the 1960's. Cast and wrought iron and steel. Two 80' skew spans of wrought iron lattice girder with central pier. The first bridge had two laminated timber arches with cast iron upper works in Gothic form but these were taken down in 1878 and rebuilt using a deep flat wrought iron lattice girder in two parts supported on four cast iron cylindrical piers. The stone river pier survives from the 1840 bridge. The 1878 bridge was further strengthened in the 1960's by British Rail when additional steel support was inserted between the tracks and extra stiffeners were fixed to the face of the girders. A steel superstructure was also added at this time to carry the platform extensions.
The name "Avon" is a cognate of the Welsh word afon "river", both being derived from the Common Brittonic abona, "river". "River Avon", therefore, literally means "River River"; several other English and Scottish rivers share the name. The County of Avon that existed from 1974 to 1996 was named after the river, and covered Bristol, Bath, and the lower Avon valley.
The Avon rises just north of the village of Acton Turville in South Gloucestershire, before flowing through Wiltshire. In its lower reaches from Bath to the Severn Estuary at Avonmouth near Bristol the river is navigable and known as the Avon Navigation.
The Avon is the 19th longest river in the UK at 75 miles (121 km) although there are just 19 miles (31 km) as the crow flies between the source and its mouth in the Severn Estuary. The catchment area is 2,220 square kilometres (860 sq mi).
The river Avon had been navigable from Bristol to Bath during the early years of the 13th century but construction of mills on the river forced its closure. The floodplain of the Avon, on which the city centre of Bath is built, has an altitude of about 59 ft (18 m) above sea level. The river, once an unnavigable series of braided streams broken up by swamps and ponds, has been managed by weirs into a single channel. Periodic flooding, which shortened the life of many buildings in the lowest part of the city, was normal until major flood control works were completed in the 1970s.
25108
Looking down the River Avon towards the Grade II Listed Rossiter Road Railway Bridge (also known as Avon Bridge) in Bath, Somerset.
First built in 1840 for the Great Western Railway and designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, but mainly rebuilt in 1878, strengthened in the 1960's. Cast and wrought iron and steel. Two 80' skew spans of wrought iron lattice girder with central pier. The first bridge had two laminated timber arches with cast iron upper works in Gothic form but these were taken down in 1878 and rebuilt using a deep flat wrought iron lattice girder in two parts supported on four cast iron cylindrical piers. The stone river pier survives from the 1840 bridge. The 1878 bridge was further strengthened in the 1960's by British Rail when additional steel support was inserted between the tracks and extra stiffeners were fixed to the face of the girders. A steel superstructure was also added at this time to carry the platform extensions.
The name "Avon" is a cognate of the Welsh word afon "river", both being derived from the Common Brittonic abona, "river". "River Avon", therefore, literally means "River River"; several other English and Scottish rivers share the name. The County of Avon that existed from 1974 to 1996 was named after the river, and covered Bristol, Bath, and the lower Avon valley.
The Avon rises just north of the village of Acton Turville in South Gloucestershire, before flowing through Wiltshire. In its lower reaches from Bath to the Severn Estuary at Avonmouth near Bristol the river is navigable and known as the Avon Navigation.
The Avon is the 19th longest river in the UK at 75 miles (121 km) although there are just 19 miles (31 km) as the crow flies between the source and its mouth in the Severn Estuary. The catchment area is 2,220 square kilometres (860 sq mi).
The river Avon had been navigable from Bristol to Bath during the early years of the 13th century but construction of mills on the river forced its closure. The floodplain of the Avon, on which the city centre of Bath is built, has an altitude of about 59 ft (18 m) above sea level. The river, once an unnavigable series of braided streams broken up by swamps and ponds, has been managed by weirs into a single channel. Periodic flooding, which shortened the life of many buildings in the lowest part of the city, was normal until major flood control works were completed in the 1970s.