Exhibition : Newport Transporter Bridge

Have you visited the Exhibition relating to Newport Transporter Bridge in Newport Museum and Art Gallery?

 


 The ongoing Exhibition in Newport Museum Museum on the Mezzanine Floor

Born out of Newport’s huge success and growth in the late 1800s, the Transporter Bridge has dominated the skyline of the city for 110 years. Built to accommodate the tallest sailing ships, yet also transport motor cars, the Transporter Bridge is one of the last structures of the days of sail but one of the first of the motor age.

Today, the Transporter Bridge is a working monument to Newport’s rich maritime and industrial heritage. Described by Cadw as ‘a structure of exceptional interest’, the bridge is the best example of a transporter bridge in Britain and one of only eight historic transporter bridges left in the world.

The exhibition features a range of items and images from the construction and operation of the Transporter Bridge and artworks inspired by it. Highlights include: photographs documenting the Bridge’s construction; an industrial basket used to carry workers; a silver trowel used to the lay the foundation stone; film footage of the opening ceremony and digital projections of the original plans.

To keep up to date with what is on, please visit the Museum & Art Gallery web site.


1. The Ceremonial Trowel: 

This ceremonial trowel was presented to Mayor of Newport Henry John Davis to mark the laying of the foundation stone of the Transporter Bridge on 8 November 1902.



2, The Industrial Basket

Workmen scaled the cables of the Transporter Bridge in large wicker baskets pulled by winches. From the baskets the workmen could install, paint and maintain the cables.




3, The West bank cable anchorage.
The Cable Anchorage nearing completion on 29 July 1903.



4. Tokens
8,000 people paid the half penny toll to cross the bridge on the opening day. Despite the toll the bridge always ran at a loss. By 1919 it was costing  the Borough £6,000 a year. In 1946 the toll was abolished. 



 

5. The Pilot House Clock
The clock is double sided, so that both the driver and passengers could see the time. It was designed for the Transporter Bridge by local watchmakers  - S. G. Sunnucks. In 1995 the clock was stolen. It re-appeared in Devon 10 years later and was returned to Newport in 2008.




6, The boom 
Here the boom is being lifted into place on 17 May 1905



7. The Completed Transporter Bridge







 

The exhibition features a range of items and images from the construction and operation of the Transporter Bridge and artworks inspired by it. Highlights include: photographs documenting the Bridge’s construction; an industrial basket used to carry workers; a silver trowel used to the lay the foundation stone; film footage of the opening ceremony and digital projections of the original plans.


To keep up to date with what is on, please visit the Museum & Art Gallery web site.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Friends help construct the Transporter Bridge Garden

Image
The Friends help construct the Transporter Bridge Garden Gavin has been an inspiration when it comes to publicising the Newport Transporter  Bridge during its period of closure. It closed because of the construction of the new Visitor's Centre. Researching the past Gavin discovered that a group of Transporter Bridge Crew had  their own allotment on the East Side of the Anchorage.  So in June he asked the Friends if they would help him construct a garden.  Chippings were put down as a base and raised beds were created and many of which the Friends' Committee helped construct them. They also assembled a green house. Members if the committee at the start of the project. Left to right, Martyn Newman, Jeff Grosvenor, Terry Mercy, Gavin Jones, Grenville Pow and Peter Thomas- Keefe Jeff Grosvenor and one other Peter Thomas Keefe Gavin was an ideal co-ordinator as he had previously worked for the Living Levels Project as Community Engagement Officer and had also worked ...
Read more

Cutting the sod for the contruction of the new visitor's centre

Image
  Cutting the Sod for the constriction of the new visitor's centre  on a rainy day.   Tuesday. 2nd August   The Newport Transporter Bridge is a transporter bridge crosses the River Usk in Newport, South East Wales. The bridge is the lowest crossing on the River Usk. It is a Grade I listed structure. It is one of fewer than 10 transporter bridges that remain in use worldwide and only a few dozen were ever built. Construction started :  1902 Clearance below :  54 m Opened :  12 September 1906 Architect :  Ferdinand Arnodin Height :  74 m  Pictures of our amazing Transporter Bridge taken by Drone photographer Sam Wise 1.  Assembling outside the existing visitor's centre in the rain On Tuesday  2nd August people met to celebrate the cutting of the sod for the erection of the new visitor's centre. The much anticipated building of a new visitor centre and repair work at Newport Transporter Bridge made progress on Tuesd...
Read more

Introducing Gavin Jones and Emma Newrick's update

Image
  Gavin Jones, Community Engagement Officer and the one in the middle. On either side of Gavin is Norman Liversuch and his daughter Rhiannon.  Gavin writes:- Hi everyone, my name is Gavin Jones and I will soon be joining the Newport Transporter Bridge team as the Community Engagement Officer. For the past six years, I have been with the Living Levels Landscape Partnership, working across the Gwent Levels on which the bridge is such a stunning presence. I have over 25 years of experience in community engagement and am very excited about being part of an amazing project for such an iconic Newport landmark. I have been a big fan since first discovering the bridge – in fact, before that, my only previous encounter with a transporter bridge was via the TV programme ‘ Auf Wiedersehen Pet’ . One of the first things I did in my present job was to insist that the partnership lined up for a photo along the top, complete with a poor photographer who was afraid of heights! For the pas...
Read more