Arnside Tower Bridge

Image: © Adrian Taylor Taken: 4 Jul 2023

Although not particularly close to the ruin of Arnside Tower, this bridge is officially named Arnside Tower Bridge and is bridge number CBC1/12 (Carnforth-Barrow-Carlisle Section 1 bridge number 12). At 5 miles 924 yards from the line datum at Carnforth, this bridge on the Furness Line between Silverdale and Arnside is a more complex structure than it initially appears. It was built by the Ulverstone and Lancaster Railway which opened the line between Ulverston and Carnforth in 1857. The bridge was initially reconstructed in 1900 with wrought iron main and cross girders, and a modern replacement steel deck has been added more recently. It has a span of 12’3” (3.73m) and there is an engineer's benchmark on the up (east) side of the southeast abutment (photograph Image). There is another bridge directly under this one, a 6’ (1.83m) span culvert through which flows Black Dyke, a sluggish stream, little more than a drain. It crosses the railway on the skew, partly under the main bridge arch, partly under the northwest abutment and up-side wing wall. The upstream end of the culvert is behind the stone wall in the right foreground, the downstream end is beyond the bridge to the left of the farm track which is a public footpath.

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