Blackfriars Bridge

]] The current Blackfriars Bridge replaced an earlier, wooden structure, dating from 1761. This was erected by a company of comedians keen to allow people from Manchester to easily cross the Irwell, to visit the Riding School on Water Street in Salford, where they performed. For the rest of its life it was maintained at the public's expense. A series of 29 steps led from the Manchester side of the river down to its flagged surface. It was named Blackfriars Bridge, as Blackfriars Bridge in London was then being built. , c.1830]] The old bridge was narrow, suitable for pedestrians only and liable to flooding. An act of Parliament, the (57 Geo. 3. c. lviii) enabled its replacement by a…

Blackfriars Bridge is a sandstone ashlar and cast-iron construction, crossing the water below in three classical-style semicircular arches. The easternmost end of the bridge is partly embedded in the river bank. The central arch has paired Ionic pilasters on each side. The voussoirs on each arch use vermiculated rustication. At some point during the 1870s the bridge's open balustrade was replaced with cast iron, to remove the badly polluted river from view. In 1991 this was replaced with stone-clad reinforced concrete, partially restoring the bridge to its original appearance. It lies within the Parsonage Gardens Conservation Area, and was granted Grade II listed status on 4 February 1988.