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1832; 1834

LMGLM:2003.66.2

Summary: print, tinted, 'Proposed Suspension Bridge across Lymington River', designed by B Ferrey, architect, lithograph by L Hague, published by R A Grove, Lymington, Lymington and Pennington, Hampshire, 1832 with text below, 'to the publisher' about the bridge by R A Grove 1834Identification note: In March 1834, Richard Grove, a Lymington grocer, published plans for...

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Summary: print, tinted, 'Proposed Suspension Bridge across Lymington River', designed by B Ferrey, architect, lithograph by L Hague, published by R A Grove, Lymington, Lymington and Pennington, Hampshire, 1832 with text below, 'to the publisher' about the bridge by R A Grove 1834

Identification note: In March 1834, Richard Grove, a Lymington grocer, published plans for a suspension bridge across the Lymington River designed by the architect Benjamin Ferrey. At the time residents could either board rowing-boat ferries, which charged a halfpenny in each direction, or use the toll bridge, built in 1731 without planning permission. Mr Grove made a pronouncement that the bridge was designed ‘to remove all obstructions to an uninterrupted intercourse between the Town and a highly respected part of the Neighbourhood’. The bridge would extend for 300 feet over the centre of the River with a masonry causeway 130 feet long on each side. Both the bridge and causeway were to be 26 feet wide, with a roadway and two pathways. The new road was to run from the top of Quay Hill to the east side of Mr Good’s marsh in Walhampton, a total distance of 1350 feet. The estimated cost of construction was £6,000, plus a further £3,000 for purchasing properties along the proposed route. Mr Grove was opposed to charging tolls, in order to make a return on the capital investment. He felt that it was the duty of the Borough of Lymington and its inhabitants to fund improvements to the town’s amenities and make it more attractive to visitors and potential residents. He also stated that he had received offers of donations from local residents amounting to nearly £2,000, towards the construction of the bridge. Unfortunately the bridge was never built, probably owing legal and financial difficulties.

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