In 2001 The Marple Website began a campaign for the restoration of the Iron Bridge in Brabyns Park and was joined by Marple Local History Society in 2002. Later that year a partnership was formed with Stockport Council to find ways to fund its restoration.
In 2003 the group made a successful application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a Project Planning Grant. After considerable delays, not least due to the discovery of a six-inch gas main that had been installed across the bridge in the 1980s, a scheme for the restoration was finalised in 2006.
A second Heritage Lottery Grant was awarded in 2007 and, with match funding raised with the help and support of the local community, the bridge’s future was secured. Restoration work was completed in 2008, in good time for the bridge’s Bicentennial anniversary in 2013.
Built in 1813 by the Salford Iron Works, the Iron Bridge in Brabyns park was for many years a private thoroughfare for the owners of the Brabyns estate. Following the death of it's last owner Miss Fanny Hudson in 1941, the parkland came into ownership of the local council and since that time the bridge has become a familiar landmark to all those who both use the park for leisure or merely as a short cut between Compstall and Marple.
Summarising six years of campaigning, fundraising, research, design and planning that culminated in the award of a Heritage Lottery Fund Grant of £424,700 towards the restoration of the historic Georgian cast iron bridge in Brabyns Park in June 2007. Includes details of the extensive community support and local fundraising with a timeline summary from campaign start to grant award.
An on-line version of a booklet first prepared in March 2003 for submission with the application for an HLF Project Planning Grant towards the cost of investigative works associated with restoration of the Iron Bridge. It was updated in November 2006 for inclusion with the main grant application. It gives a brief history of Brabyns Park, the Iron Bridge and the people involved in its construction.
Full length version of the documentary film created by Fusion Films charting the restoration of the historic cast iron bridge in Brabyns Park, Marple. It takes the viewer from the start of the campaign by The Marple Website in 2001 through fundraising, grant applications, project planning, design and construction to the eventual re-opening ceremony in June 2008.
As part of the project a brand new "Brabyns Park Discovery Trail" booklet was published in March 2009 and made available free of charge at a variety of outlets across the borough. Unfortunately only 1,000 copies could be printed so, 10 years later in 2019, hardcopies of the booket had become pretty scarce.
At the time of launching the booklet it was also made available to download on-line on the original Marple Website. Having recently been reminded of the scarcity of hardcopies, the downloadable version of the Discovery Trail was migrated to the new Marple Website in 2019.
In July 2007 the Iron Bridge Restoration Project was awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £427,700 towards the restoration of the historic Georgian cast iron bridge in Brabyns Park.
This page tracks progress and news as the work got underway until the bridge was reopened to the public in June 2008. The next page picks up from the re-opening ceremony onwards.
In July 2007 the Iron Bridge Restoration Project was awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £427,700 towards the restoration of the historic Georgian cast iron bridge in Brabyns Park.
This page tracks progress and news of the finishing touches following the bridge being reopened to the public on Friday 13th June 2008 until installation of the listening post in October 2012.
Drawings of the modern intervention agreed with stakeholders and approved by English Heritage for the Iron Bridge in Brabyns Park in order to secure Listed Building Consent for its restoration in 2008. Includes an insign into our thoughts on this and hopes for the future.
This phase began in August 2003 with the award of a HLF Project Planning grant of £30,100 towards the cost of the first phase of work needed to achieve the restoration of the historic Iron Bridge in Brabyns Park. It continued until the submission of the completion report in March 2006. The diary is split into two parts due to size with this one covering August 2003 to June 2004.
This phase began in August 2003 with the award of a HLF Project Planning grant of £30,100 towards the cost of the first phase of work needed to achieve the restoration of the historic Iron Bridge in Brabyns Park. It continued until the submission of the completion report in March 2006. The diary is split into two parts due to size with this one covering October 2004 to April 2006.
In December 2005 the Iron Bridge Restoration Project set up an on-line consultation and questionnaire in order to demonstrate the level of public support for their plans to submit an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a grant towards the cost of restoring the Iron Bridge in Brabyns Park.
During June and July 2004 the Iron Bridge Restoration Project was featured in a TV programme called 'Restoration: You Make It Happen' that was shown on the Community Channel, which was broadcast by Sky, Freeview, Telewest and NTL at the time.
On Thursday 13th May 2004 we successfully complete our sponsored walk from the Iron Bridge in Brabyns Park to the famous Iron Bridge in Shropshire. The purpose of the walk was to raise money towards match-funding needed for the second phase of the restoration of Marple's own Iron Bridge.
At the end of July 2001 we announced our intention to campaign for the restoration of the Iron Bridge in Brabyns Park. These pages formed a campaign diary and kept visitors informed of progress, or lack of it! The diary was split into sections for each year of the campaign, as it had become rather large.
At the end of July 2001 we announced our intention to campaign for the restoration of the Iron Bridge in Brabyns Park. These pages formed a campaign diary and kept visitors informed of progress, or lack of it! The diary was split into sections for each year of the campaign, as it had become rather large.
This article appeared in the Stockport Heritage Magazine of summer 1991. It explains how the stone bridge was demolished during the erection of the bailey bridge in Brabyns Park.
Permission has been given by Steve Cliffe, Stockport Heritage Magazine's Editor and Publisher, to reproduce this article here.
