Building record 7742 - Hartford Blue Bridge

<1> English Heritage/DCMS, Various, Notification of decision not to include on the List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Written Communication). SCH5393.

Hartford Blue Bridge was constructed in 1938 to enable traffic to bypass Northwich and to enable boats to navigate the Weaver Navigation more easily. It replaced an older, narrower, single-span stone bridge. In conjunction with construction of the new bridge, the road was widened.

The Hartford Blue Bridge is a single-span road bridge carrying the dual-lane A556 (Northwich Bypass) across the Weaver Navigation at Hartford, Cheshire. The bridge has a riveted steel girder construction (painted blue) with a low-arched span flanked by pedestrian walkways. Tall Art Deco-style concrete abutments at each end bear the Cheshire coat of arms. It has been suggested that the bridge's central section was originally designed to be raised by 10ft to enable taller boats to pass underneath, but no lifting mechanism survives.

The bridge was proposed for listing in 2012, but was rejected after an initial assessment as it did not meet the criteria for addition to the list for the following reasons:

* Architectural and design quality: although the Art Deco-style abutments provide some level of architectural interest, overall Hartford Blue Bridge is modestly detailed and functional in its design.
* Technological innovation: unlike other listed road bridges of a contemporary date, such as the Middlesborough Tees (Newport) Bridge (Grade II), the Hartford Blue Bridge does not display any technological or design innovation.
* Date: the Hartford Blue Bridge lacks an early date and other bridges on the Weaver Navigation have greater claims to special interest, such as Hayhurst Bridge and Town Bridge, Northwich (both constructed in 1899 and listed Grade II), which are believed to be the earliest electrically-operated swing bridges in Britain.

<2> Various, Various, Oral communication to the HER, Smallwood, M (Oral Communication). SCH2330.

On drawings made for Joseph Parks and Sons of Northwich, the constructors, a rise and fall platform was proposed for use during construction only, allowing vessels to pass beneath the temporary scaffolding required for steelworks. It is not known if this temporary platform was installed but, almost certainly, the myth of the rise and fall section has come from that drawing.

<3> Various, Various, Oral communication to the HER, Herbert P, 05/06/2015 (Oral Communication). SCH2330.

The four abutments associated with Hartford “Blue” bridge. These abutments are an early, and therefore important, example of the link between pre-war art deco/modernism and post war brutalism architecture. Being typically modernist in style (inspired by Aztec pyramids) and constructed in the brutalism method (poured and shuttered concrete).

The link between the two styles is discussed in some detail in architecture journals, which focus mainly on brutalism being born out of post war modernism. As you may know the bridge was opened in 1939 and, as it has features (on the abutments) of both the described styles, it could be described as a seminal example of the convergence in the architectural schools.

The abutments also bear the historic escutcheon of Cheshire County Council. The abutments, according to the original architects drawings, utilised an integrated drainage system.

A Northwich company, Joseph Parks and Sons, was involved in the construction of the bridge.