Blackfriars Bridge

Blackfriars Bridge is a stone arch bridge in Greater Manchester. It crosses the River Irwell to link Salford with Manchester. Work began in 1819 and the bridge opened in August 1820. Thomas Wright of Salford designed the three-arched structure in sandstone. An earlier wooden footbridge stood on the same spot from 1761. That first bridge had been built by a company of comedians to let their Manchester patrons reach their Salford theatre. The bridge was built to carry more traffic than the narrow wooden predecessor. A competition offered prizes of £150 and £100 for the best designs. William Fairbairn proposed a single-span cast iron bridge, while Thomas Wright won with a three-arched stone design complete with Ionic columns. The act of Parliament allowed tolls to be charged until the debt was cleared. Tolls ended in March 1848 when the bridge’s creditors gave up their interest. Visitors find a classical-style bridge with three semicircular arches. The central arch has paired Ionic pilasters on each side. The voussoirs on each arch show vermiculated rustication. The eastern end sits partly embedded in the river bank. The bridge lies within the Parsonage Gardens Conservation Area and has Grade II listed status.