Bishop's Bridge

Bishop's Bridge, sometimes known as Paddington Bridge, is a road bridge in the Paddington district of London. The bridge carries "Bishop's Bridge Road" across the rail approaches to Paddington Station and the adjacent Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal. The bridge has recently been reconstructed, and was re-opened to traffic at 4am on 14 June 2006. The new bridge was built by HOCHTIEF, and replaced a narrower predecessor, which was a traffic bottleneck causing tailbacks, and was not considered strong enough to take buses [cite web
title = Bishop's Bridge Replacement
publisher = Always Touch Out
date = 2007-01-28
url = http://www.alwaystouchout.com/project/52
accessdate = 2008-08-31] . The new design includes a taxi waiting area, extending nearly the full length of the bridge, and connecting with the approach to the station's taxi pick-up point.

The name Bishop's Bridge Road comes from the manor of Paddington which was granted to the Bishop of London, Nicholas Ridley, by Edward VI in the mid 16th Century.

Brunel's first iron bridge

In 2003 while researching a book about the station, Steven Brindle, "Inspector of Ancient Monuments" for English Heritage (London region) discovered that Isambard Kingdom Brunel was responsible for the original Bishop's Bridge [cite web
last = Brindle
date = 2006
first = Steven
authorlink = Steven Brindle
title = Brunel's Paddington Bridge: The discovery and saving of the Paddington Canal Bridge
publisher = Paddington Waterways and Maida Vale Society
url = http://www.paddingtonwaterways.com/archive.php?amend=1&id=15
accessdate = 2008-08-31] , and that the section he built over the canal was his first iron bridge and had a unique design.

Unaware that they were intending to replace the bridge, by the time Brindle contacted Westminster City Council, their planning of the replacement project was at an advanced stage, with the main contract due to be signed the following week, and demolition due to take place 10 months later.

Investigations determined that the canal section of Brunel's 1839 bridge had survived, as rebuilding work in 1906 had merely obscured it and caused it to be forgotten. Negotiations between the council and English Heritage followed, and it was agreed that the 1839 iron bridge would be dismantled with a view to future reconstruction. [cite web
last = Russell
first = Helena
title = Paddington bare
publisher = Bridge Design & Engineering
date = 2004-05-28
url = http://www.bridgeweb.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/527/Paddington_bare.html
accessdate = 2008-08-31] The bulk of the dismantling work took place in April 2004, allowing the bridge replacement work to proceed as planned.

An application for Planning Permission to reconstruct the original iron bridge a mere 200 yards along the canal was submitted in April 2006.

References

External links

* [http://www.westminster.gov.uk/environment/planning/paddington/paddingtonbridge.cfm Westminster City Council FAQ on Paddington Bridge]
* [http://www.westminster.gov.uk/councilgovernmentanddemocracy/councils/pressoffice/news/pr3244.cfm Westminster City Council Bridge Re-Opening Press Release]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20070806223601/http://www.hochtief.co.uk/projects/profiles/pad_bridge.htm HOCHTIEF's description of the project]
* [http://dormanlongtechnology.com/English/projects/Bishops%20bridge.htm DLT's description of the project]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/photo_gallery/3529991.stm In Pictures: Brunel's hidden bridge (BBC)]
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2004/mar/04/arts.artsnews1 Brunel's iron bridge is found buried in brick (Guardian)]