Hawarden Bridge is a railway bridge over the River Dee

River Dee, Wales

The River Dee is a long river in the United Kingdom. It travels through Wales and England and also forms part of the border between the two countries....

, near to Shotton

Shotton, Flintshire

Shotton is a town in Flintshire, north Wales, lying on the River Dee. The name derives from the Old Norse words sjò and tùn . It is continuous with the towns of Connah's Quay and Queensferry in what is called Deeside...

, Flintshire

Flintshire

Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...

, Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

. It was built by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway

Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway

The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was formed by amalgamation in 1847. The MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension.-Origin:...

 (which later became the Great Central Railway

Great Central Railway

The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...

), as part of the Chester & Connah's Quay Railway

Chester & Connah's Quay Railway

The Chester & Connah's Quay Railway ran from Chester Northgate in Chester, Cheshire, England to Shotton, Flintshire, Wales.It was built by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway and was opened on 31 March 1890.At Dee Marsh Junction it connected with the North Wales and Liverpool Railway...

. It opened in 3 August 1889.

The central section, which was designed as a swing bridge

Swing bridge

A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...

 to allow shipping to pass, no longer opens and is welded shut. Although the rotating mechanism - hydraulic cylinders attached to a drive chain and sprocket

Sprocket

A sprocket or sprocket-wheel is a profiled wheel with teeth, cogs, or even sprockets that mesh with a chain, track or other perforated or indented material. The name 'sprocket' applies generally to any wheel upon which are radial projections that engage a chain passing over it...

 - is still visible beneath the bridge.

The bridge is now part of the Borderlands Line

Borderlands Line

The Borderlands Line is the railway line between Wrexham, Wales, and Bidston, Wirral, England.Passenger train services are operated by Arriva Trains Wales between Wrexham Central and Bidston. Trains run every hour Monday to Saturday daytime, every two hours after 18:45 and on Sundays...

 from Wrexham

Wrexham

Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...

 to Bidston

Bidston

Bidston is a suburb of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Administratively, it is also a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of the County Borough of Birkenhead, within the geographical county of Cheshire...

.

Hawarden Bridge railway station

Hawarden Bridge railway station

Hawarden Bridge railway station is a railway station near Shotton, Flintshire, Wales. It is situated on the Borderlands Line north of Wrexham Central, on the north side of Hawarden Bridge over the River Dee...

 is on the north side of the bridge, while Shotton

Shotton railway station

Shotton railway station serves the town of Shotton, Flintshire, Wales. It is situated where the Borderlands Line crosses the North Wales Coast Line. All passenger services are operated by Arriva Trains Wales, which manages the station....

 station is on the south side.

External links

• Hawarden Bridge and Dee Marsh (photographs by David Sallery)
• Photographs from BBC
• Central section photo