Ulverston Canal bridge is thought to be England’s last remaining 'rolling bridge's and has grade II listed status since it demonstrates an important place in the design and technological development of bridges.
The bridge was designed by local engineer Frank Stileman for the Furness Railway Company and built by Gradwell.
It is built from iron and steel in three sections. Rail tracks cross the bridge at 45 degrees.
The Hydraulically powered bridge It was designed to roll back on wheels into a small dock built into the south / west bank of the canal, leaving navigable channel in centre for boats to pass through. The red brick tower built on the canal bank once housed a hydraulic accumulator for operating the bridge.
Boring for bridge foundations began February 1878 and the railway formation and bridge deck was completed by September 1880.
The Bridge protected by wooden fenders.
Work completed June 1881 when the line was for freight to and from the iron works from September 1881.
The line opened for passenger traffic June 1883 with a once (in some years twice) daily train running from Ulverston to Priory Station.
Regular passenger services ceased in 1912 with the line only being used for occasional excursion work and by 1914 the line fell into disuse beyond North Lonsdale ironworks. The line beyond the Iron Works, now Glaxo was closed in 1917.
Falling into disrepair the bridge was sealed shut in 1952.
The last passenger train of railway enthsiasts passed over the bridge 1961.
The last movement was made by light engine on 27th April 1994 when fuel tanks delivered to Plumpton Junction sidings, by British Rail on April 23, were returned to empty ready for collection on the 30th.
Rail traffic to Glaxo ceased then ceased. The track was lifted in 2000.
The bridge now fixed and carries Glaxo emergency water main from Newland Beck, and a public pedestrian walkway.
A tall brick accumulator tower stands nearby. It housed a large water-filled pipe needed to operate the rams which moved the bridge.
The cylinders and rams were removed in 1952-3 and the canal-side dock into which the bridge retracted filled in, sealing it into a fixed position.
The bridge and nearby accumulator house were both granted listed building status in 2012.
