Victoria Bridge, Manchester

Salford Old Bridge, looking northeast

A contemporary illustration of the new bridge

The present structure replaced the 14th-century Salford Old Bridge, at the time the oldest in the region,[1] Salford Old Bridge's exact age is unknown. The Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society estimated that it was built sometime around 1365 to 1368, as it appears in the will of Thomas del Bothe, a yeoman from Barton who bequeathed it £30.[2] Salford Old Bridge was built at the site of a ford,[3] from which the town took its name; Salford is derived from the Old English word Sealhford, meaning a ford by the willow trees or sallows, which at the time grew alongside the Irwell's banks.[4][5]

A narrow stone bridge with three gothic arches,[6] it housed a chapel built by del Bothe on the middle pier. This was rebuilt in 1505 and was later used as a jail.[1][7] The bridge was the site of a notable incident during the English Civil War, when Royalist Salford used it to mount a short-lived siege of Parliamentarian Manchester.[8]

The 16th-century antiquary John Leland called the old bridge "the best of III arches", and referred to del Bothe's building as "a praty litle chapel". A list of bridges published in 1781 lists it as "a firm commodious bridge", widened along the south side in about 1730, and with the jail's removal, on the north side in 1779.[nb 1][2] By the 19th century, however, the bridge's narrow design was viewed as an impediment. Its fate was decided at the Quarter Sessions for the Hundred of Salford in October 1836. There it was agreed that it should be replaced, and so in September the following year it was closed (a temporary wooden crossing was provided for pedestrians) and over the next six months, demolished.[7] Bradshaw's Manchester Journal describes its construction as narrow, steeply-sloped and rudimentary, quoting an excerpt from the 27 March 1839 edition of the Manchester Guardian:

On removing the key-stones of the arch on the Salford side, the whole of the masonry from the keystone to the centre pier fell over at once into the river, precipitating three or four of the workmen into the water; but fortunately none of them received any more serious injury than a considerable fright and a thorough ducking. On examining the centre pier, it was found to be quite untouched and unshaken, each of the three arches having merely pressed upon or rested against the outer surfaces of the piers and abutments.[7]

The new bridge's first stone was laid on 31 March 1838 by Elkanah Armitage, Boroughreeve of Salford. Inclement weather caused several construction delays,[nb 2] but the final stone was laid almost a year later on 23 March 1839, by Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 2nd Baronet.[10] The bridge cost £10,800 to build, although as changes were made to its approaches on both sides of the river, the total cost was £20,800.[1]

Queen Victoria passing over the bridge in 1851

Victoria Bridge was opened on 20 June 1839, the anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne.[10] The event drew large crowds, who watched as a procession of soldiers twice crossed the bridge, accompanied by regimental bands playing "God Save the Queen". Men working at the forges in the nearby Victoria Arches used anvils and gunpowder to mimic artillery fire. Flags were placed on the surrounding buildings, while a Union Flag was raised atop Manchester Cathedral. Food and drink was provided for local dignitaries. The bridge was opened to the general public shortly after midday.[6] Queen Victoria crossed the bridge, which was partially covered by a temporary triumphal arch, on her visit to Manchester in October 1851.[11]

The Manchester Guardian declared the new bridge "an ornament to the towns which it unites", and a "highly creditable public work to the parties to whom the management of its erection has been entrusted, and to the present advanced state of pontal architecture."[6]

The road which crosses the bridge, Victoria Bridge Street, admitted traffic in one direction only until 2012. As a consequence of the pedestrianisation of nearby Victoria Street, it was made a two-way street.[12]