Torksey

Torksey

Torksey Lock slipway
Torksey
 Torksey shown within Lincolnshire
Population 551 (2001)
OS grid referenceSK837786
    London 130 mi (210 km)  S
DistrictWest Lindsey
Shire countyLincolnshire
RegionEast Midlands
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town LINCOLN
Postcode district LN1
Police Lincolnshire
Fire Lincolnshire
Ambulance East Midlands
EU Parliament East Midlands
UK ParliamentGainsborough (UK Parliament constituency)
List of places
UK
England
Lincolnshire

Coordinates: 53°17′55″N 0°44′43″W / 53.298604°N 0.745252°W

Torksey is a village in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the A156 road, 7 miles (11 km) south from Gainsborough and 9 miles (14 km) north-west from the city of Lincoln, and on the eastern bank of the River Trent. It is notable for Torksey Castle and Torksey Viaduct.

History

Torksey Castle

In the Domesday Book Torksey is listed as a town.

The Grade II* listed railway viaduct over the Trent remains but it is no longer in use. The now Grade I listed 16th-century Torksey Castle was destroyed in August 1645 during the English Civil War; its remains are on the riverside of the bank which separates it from dry land. Both are on the Buildings at Risk Register.

The Roman Foss Dyke canal, modified by later refurbishments, joins the tidal River Trent by way of a series of lock-gates.

Torksey Viaduct

Torksey viaduct, deck level, facing East.

Torksey Viaduct has two 130 feet (39.6 m) spans across the River Trent.[1] It was built between 1847 and 1849 to carry the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. It is of unusual design and is regarded as the first box girder bridge.[2] It was designed by John Fowler, who had been influenced by Fairbairn and Stephenson's tubular bridges at Conwy and the Menai Straits. The unconventional nature of the tubular girder bridge was not initially accepted. It was rejected after completion by the Board of Trade’s inspector John Simmons and the design was also criticized by the Institute of Civil Engineers.[3][4] The bridge was strengthened in 1897 by adding a more conventional central truss above the deck rather than by strengthening the box.[4]

References

  1. Tatraskoda. "John Fowler's Viaduct at Torksey". Flickr.
  2. "Torksey Bridge".
  3. Chrimes, Mike (1991). Civil Engineering 1839-1889. Alan Sutton Publishing. pp. 37–38. ISBN 1-84015-008-4.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "Torksey Viaduct". Forgotten Relics.

External links