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RESIDENTS
in Marple are stepping up their campaign to restore a historic
village landmark to its former glory.
The
village's Iron Bridge in Brabyn's Park has been left to rust and
corrode into its current poor condition over the years. But now
two Marple residents, Mark Whittaker and Peter Clarke, are
spearheading the campaign to get something done.
They
hope to prevent its permanent deterioration, and for the bridge to
be brought back to its original state of beauty before it is too
late.
A
date has now been provisionally fixed for April 12 for the
residents to meet with representatives of the leisure and culture
division of the council to discuss the next steps, and the
possibility of lottery funding for the restoration of the bridge.
Decline
The historic Iron Bridge was built in 1813 by Salford Iron Works,
but its steady decline in condition forced it to be declared
unsafe, and a temporary bailey bridge was constructed across it in
1991 to make it safe for the passage of pedestrians and horses. |
Peter
Clarke said: "It's tragic to see a local landmark fall into
this condition and we are pressing for its renovation. Local
residents are supporting us, particularly those who use the park a
lot.
"Marple
has had a history of destroying its historic places and we don't
want the bridge to go the same way.
"A
lot of communities would kill to have something like this in their
area simply because of its beauty.
"In
the past the bridge has just being ignored. Two years we've been
campaigning for something to be done and that's another two years
closer the bridge is to falling in the river.
Peter
Bardsley of the Marple Historic Society said: "The bridge is
part of the heritage of Brabyn's Park and should be restored. The
current state of the bridge and even the state of the bailey
bridge gives much concern."
Mr.
Clarke added: "We know that funding is the problem. We were
told in June last year that hold-ups on the repair were purely of
a financial nature, and that as soon as the money became available
work would begin.
"So,
hopefully we can get some money from the Lottery Heritage Fund or
somewhere else and things will start happening."
Local
residents can voice their views on the bridge in the forum on the
Marple website at www.marple-uk.com.
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