Cross Keys Bridge is aswing bridge that carries the busy single carriagewayA17 road which runs fromNewark inNottinghamshire toKing's Lynn inNorfolk over the tidalRiver Nene inSutton Bridge in the extreme south east ofLincolnshire close to the borders of bothNorfolk andCambridgeshire and is a major landmark on the route particularly for holiday traffic heading into and out of Norfolk during the summer months.
It is the only crossing point for both traffic and pedestrians over the river north of the Cambridgeshire town ofWisbech some nine miles to the south of the bridge and provides the only direct link between Lincolnshire and Norfolk.
When it was built in 1897, it was the third bridge to cross the Nene in Sutton Bridge. It was originally a dual-purpose bridge serving theMidland and Great Northern Joint Railway on what is now the westbound carriageway and the road was on the eastbound side. The railway line was closed in 1965 and the bridge took on its present-day use as a road bridge with one single lane for eastbound traffic and a single lane for westbound traffic. It is aGrade II* listed structure.[1]
The Borough of Wisbech was the port authority for this part of the River Nene. The emblem of Wisbech is thecross keys of St Peter.[2][3]
The first bridge, opened in 1831, was designed byJohn Rennie the Younger andThomas Telford as part of the Wash Embankment works. It was of timber and cast iron construction and opened up rather like London's famousTower Bridge. However it was found to be awkwardly sited and in 1850, its replacement designed byRobert Stephenson was opened.
| Cross Keys Bridge Act 1826 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
.svg) | |
| Long title | An Act for constructing a Bridge across Sutton Wash, otherwise called Cross Keys Wash, between the Counties of Lincoln wad Norfolk.\ |
| Citation | 7 Geo. 4. c. cvi |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 26 May 1826 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Lynn and Sutton Railway (Cross Keys Bridge) Act 1864 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
.svg) | |
| Long title | An Act to regulate the Use by the Lynn and Sutton Bridge Railway Company of the Cross Keys Bridge over the River Nene. |
| Citation | 27 & 28 Vict. c. ccxxix |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 25 July 1864 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
Local shipownerRichard Young, five times Mayor of Wisbech, was responsible for theCross Keys Bridge Act 1826 (7 Geo. 4. c. cvi).[4] The position of the second bridge was approximately halfway between the original and the present day bridge. It was a swing bridge and was used only for road traffic until theLynn and Sutton Bridge Railway Act 1863 (26 & 27 Vict. c. cxciii) was passed, which gave the when theLynn and Sutton Bridge Railway powers to also use it for rail traffic. When the current bridge was constructed it was hoped that the 1850 bridge could be left in position for rail use however the river authorities decided that two bridges so close together constituted a hazard for shipping, and it was removed.
The present Cross Keys Bridge was built in 1897 at a cost of £80,000.Andrew Handyside and Company erected the bridge andArmstrong Whitworth built the engines which supplied the power to swing the bridge and which were installed in the Hydraulic House, a separately listed Grade II* building.[5] The Hydraulic House is now undergoing conversion to a family home but will retain the hydraulics andaccumulators, which are housed in a 40-foot (12 m) high tower.
The bridge is a notorious bottleneck[citation needed] for traffic within the local area especially during the summer months as significant traffic disruption to the surrounding areas can occur if the bridge is opened to allow shipping to pass through or if major maintenance has to be undertaken for any reason as the only alternative route betweenSutton Bridge andKing's Lynn is via theA1101 fromLong Sutton though the centre of Wisbech itself and theA47.
Tolls were charged on the bridge until 1903. The bridge opens several times a week to allow ships and pleasure craft using the River Nene to pass through to thePort of Wisbech.
The bridge was used during the filming of the2007 adaptation ofPhilip Pullman's novel,The Golden Compass.
52°46′00″N0°11′43″E / 52.76658°N 0.19516°E /52.76658; 0.19516
