Crosskeys Bridge

Crosskeys Bridge

Crosskeys Bridge spans the tidal River Nene in Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire. When it was built in 1897, it was the third bridge to cross the Nene in Sutton Bridge. The bridge is still in use today carrying the busy A17 between Lincolnshire and Norfolk. It was originally a dual purpose bridge serving the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway Company 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.

Armstrong Whitworth built the engines which supplied the power to swing the bridge. The hydraulic house is now undergoing conversion to a family home but will retain the hydraulics and accumulators, which are housed in a 40-foot (12 m) high tower.

Tolls were charged on the bridge until 1903. The bridge swings several times a week to allow ships and pleasure craft using the River Nene to pass through to the Port of Wisbech.

The bridge was used during the filming of the 2007 adaptation of Philip Pullman's novel, The Golden Compass.

Coordinates: 52°45′59″N 0°11′44″E / 52.76639°N 0.19556°E / 52.76639; 0.19556

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