Historic railway bridge attraction to open

Work to renovate a historic railway bridge, designed and built by renowned engineer Robert Stephenson, will be revealed at an official opening this weekend.

Built in 1834, the bridge was used to move coal across the Grand Union Canal at Soar Lane in Leicester.

Later, the bridge became a static exhibit at Snibston Discovery Park in Coalville, Leicestershire, and fell into disrepair after the site closed.

Mountsorrel and Rothley Community Heritage Centre in Mountsorrel, Leicestershire, has brought the bridge back to full working order, using the original ironwork, in a £55,000 project.

Steve Cramp, from the centre, said the bridge played an "important role" in Leicester's history.

It was originally located in Soar Lane, where it allowed the passage of coal over the canal, until the 1950s.

The design, created by Stephenson, who had earlier designed the Rocket locomotive engine, could also be raised to allow barges underneath.

After the closure, the bridge was first moved to Abbey Pumping Station in Leicester as a static exhibit, before later being moved to Snibston.

When the site closed down, it was dismantled, as much of the wood was too damaged to save.

The original ironwork was placed in storage and was donated by Leicester City Council to the heritage centre in 2020.

Rather than restoring the bridge as a static exhibit, the centre has brought it back into full working order, with a functioning winding mechanism allowing the bridge deck to rise again.

Work was completed in 2025, and the attraction will officially open on Saturday and Sunday, coinciding with the centre's 10th anniversary of opening.

"It's quite a small thing really, it's only about 30ft (9m) long, but it played a very important role in moving coal from Coalville over to Leicester," Cramp said.

"It really kickstarted the Industrial Revolution in Leicester.

"It was used many times every day, all the way from 1834 to 1957, when the wharf was closed."

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