Naburn swing bridge
Naburn swing bridge
In 1871, the North Eastern Railway opened a line connecting Shaftholme Junction near Doncaster with Chaloners Whin Junction to the south of York. Running via Selby, it formed part of the East Coast Main Line until British Rail opened a diversionary route following the NCB’s development of the Selby Coalfield. Taking a more westerly course, this opened in 1983 and rendered the original alignment redundant. Its trackbed is now occupied by Route 65 of Sustrans’ National Cycle Network.
Just north of Naburn, the old line crossed the River Ouse on a bridge comprising two wrought-iron bowstring spans – one fixed of 108 feet over the east side of the water, and a larger swing span of 180 feet. Its movement was controlled from a cabin perched over the tracks but this was removed following closure.
As part of the Millennium celebrations, local artist Pete Rogers was asked to design a sculpture to sit in its place. Three options were put to a public vote – the clear winner being the ‘Fisher of Dreams’. It was installed on the bridge in August 2001.
July 2011