The Fan Bridge, Paddington Basin
Introduction
The photograph on this page of The Fan Bridge, Paddington Basin by Oliver Dixon as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
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The Fan Bridge, Paddington Basin
Image: © Oliver Dixon Taken: 23 Nov 2016
This spectacular footbridge spans the head of the Paddington Basin and was opened in September 2014. 3 metres wide and 20 metres long, it comprises five segments which rise individually to provide clearance for boats to pass - notwithstanding that boats are not permitted into the head of the basin. Named the "Fan" bridge for its likeness to the action of a Japanese hand fan. This view shows the hinge end of the bridge with the counterweights, each labelled with their weight. An action-packed video shows the operation of both this and the Rolling Bridge nearby https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2hLOT_8mS0 The Fan Bridge and Rolling Bridge both operate on a program to open at 12 noon on Wednesdays and Fridays, and at 2 pm on Saturdays. See also https://www.dezeen.com/2014/09/30/merchant-square-moving-footbridge-knight-architects-paddington-london/ The Fan Bridge replaced another interesting, retractable bridge, the Helix Bridge - see Image See http://www.lusas.com/case/bridge/helix_bridge.html for technical details.
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
51.51889
Longitude
-0.172138