Lighting columns from 1930s recreated on bridge

Lighting columns which once adorned a bridge in the 1930s have been recreated as part of a council’s £4m repair of the structure.

Rust and weather damage had taken their toll on the columns on Queen's Park Bridge in Heywood, Greater Manchester, which was first opened in the 1933.

Heritage lighting experts from Middleton firm Metcraft have rebuilt the five lighting columns on each side of the bridge in keeping with the original installation.

The bridge will reopen next year.

Lorenzo Durante, from Metcraft, said: “We’ve worked all over the UK but it’s particularly satisfying to work on something in our home borough.

“The original lighting columns were too damaged to be saved, but we had enough of them to enable us to create exact replicas.

"Everything is as it would have been in the 1930s, even down to the intricate patterns and the materials used."

Councillor Shah Wazir, cabinet member for highways at Rochdale Borough Council, said it was a "wonderful project".

He said it was "an important repair of a vital bridge" but had also "involved the restoration of vital pieces of architecture from Heywood’s past".

"The lights are looking resplendent and I think they will be real show stoppers once they’re back on the bridge for all to see," he said.

“I’m also particularly pleased that they were restored by experts on our doorstep in Middleton.

"With the main contractors on this project being based in Heywood, this project has been a truly Rochdale affair.”

Metcraft lighting has also worked on the lighting columns on Westminster Bridge, near the UK Parliament buildings in London.

The final touches were completed with help from experts from Merseyside-based, J3 UK Engineering, who have previously worked in Buckingham Palace.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas to [email protected] and via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.