Барнс көпірі: Тарихы мен ерекшеліктері

the station of the same name

Barnes Railway Bridge is a Grade II listed railway bridge in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and the London Borough of Hounslow. It crosses the River Thames in London in a northwest to southeast direction at Barnes. It carries the South Western Railway's Hounslow Loop Line, and lies between Barnes Bridge and Chiswick stations. It can also be crossed on foot, and is one of only three bridges in London to combine pedestrian and rail use; the others being Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges and Fulham Railway Bridge. The original bridge at this location was constructed during the late 1849 in accordance with a design produced by the civil engineer Joseph Locke; this structure, which consisted of two pairs of cast iron arch spans, bore a considerable resemblance to the original Richmond Railway Bridge, which was also designed by Locke. On 22 August 1849, the Barnes Bridge was opened to rail traffic. While Locke's incarnation of Barnes Bridge provided relatively trouble free service, it has not seen use since the 1890s. During the latter decade of the nineteenth century, there was a scare regarding the suitability of cast iron bridges following the collapse of one such structure. As such, it was decided that a successor to the original Barnes Bridge should be constructed. During the 1890s, a wider replacement bridge, which was designed by Edward Andrews, was constructed by Head Wrightson on behalf of the London & South Western Railway. This structure, which was built directly alongside its predecessor, comprises three spans of wrought iron bow string girders, which carries a pair of railway tracks across the river. A pedestrian walkway was also added to the bridge at this time. The original Locke span remains standing along the up stream side of its replacement, but is not used by any traffic. During 1983, Barnes Bridge was given protection as a Grade II listed structure. In the 2010s, the Barnes Bridge has been temporarily closed to pedestrians during the annual Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race to avoid excessive crowding on the structure.

During the 1840s, the London and Southampton Railway Company, which was later renamed to the London and South Western Railway Company, embarked upon the development of a new railway line, which ran between Nine Elms and Richmond. The responsibility for designing this crossing was assigned to the noted civil engineer Joseph Locke, who also designed several other structures along the route, including the similar Richmond Railway Bridge. During 1894, work began on the extension of the existing brick abutments and piers; the new structure was completed during the following year.

Over time, Barnes Bridge has become a recognisable landmark on the Thames. It is commonly referenced during the annual Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, where it has been suggested that whichever crew is ahead at this point will go on to win the race. During 2003, the competing crews were in almost equal position approaching the bridge, and Oxford won the race by just one foot. In recognition of its association with the boat races, the coat of arms on Barnes Bridge includes a light blue oar (representing Cambridge University) and a dark blue oar (representing Oxford University). Additionally, plans have been mooted for the reuse of the long out of use Locke structure, under which it is to be converted into a garden walkway; the ambition has reportedly attracted the support of national network infrastructure company Network Rail. The Dukes Meadows Footbridge, underneath the northern span of Barnes Railway Bridge, was opened in 2023 to allow the Thames Path to run beside the river at this point, rather than taking a detour of hundreds of metres to the nearest foot tunnel. The architects of that footbridge, Moxon, have also drawn up plans for a landscaped "green walkway" accessed by ramps on the disused 1849 railway bridge spans, joining up with the Thames Path. The project is supported by Network Rail, the London Borough of Richmond and the London Borough of Hounslow.