Bridgnorth’s Cliff Railway to close for engineering work

Bridgnorth’s Cliff Railway is to close for five days while it undergoes major engineering work.

Cliff railway managers have been monitoring the deterioration in concrete and metal at the top of the historic funicular’s twin tracks.

The site was recently examined by engineers, who reported on the necessary work.

The railway has been transporting people up and down the 111 foot sandstone cliffs that separate High Town from Low Town, and the River Severn for well over a century.

The attraction, which was originally built during the 1890s, will remain open on Remembrance Sunday, which is also the centenary of Armistice Day, to enable passengers to travel to ceremonies in the Castle Grounds and the High Street.

Engineering work will start on Monday, November 12, with the railway due to reopen on Saturday, November 17, ready for market day.

“We had hoped to undertake the work during our quietest period in either January or February,” explained Malvern Tipping, director and owner.

He added: “However, our contractor’s concerns about the risk of heavy frost then has resulted in the work being brought forward to November.

“We are much more fortunate than the seaside cliff railways, because unlike them we are not subject to corrosion caused by sea salt at Bridgnorth.

“However, from time to time, we still have to replace some of apparatus as it becomes worn out.

“On this occasion we have some metal corrosion at the top of the cliff railway’s tracks. Our structural engineer’s report has identified metalwork and concrete which needs replacing.”

The contract for the engineering works has been awarded to George Law Limited of Kidderminster, the contractors who laid the original tracks in 1891.

Better known now as bridge-building and sewer contractors, back in the 1890s George Law Limited was a well-known tramway contractor based in Kidderminster. They built several tramways throughout the West Midlands.