Waterford’s first bridge proposal

by May 29, 2025Built Heritage, Christmas memories, Waterford History2 comments

Citizens of Waterford have flocked in their hundreds to the city quayside this May to view the installation of a new bridge across the River Suir. In sometimes glorious sunshine and with the aid of tremendous engineering technology, crowds were wowed by this technical marvel. It’s a welcome sight to see such interest in a river project. Congratulations to everyone involved in publicising and promoting the project.

A Time Without a Bridge

This reminded me of another era, when there was no bridge at all at Waterford City. In the late 1700s, people had a choice of taking the river ferry or walking to Carrick-on-Suir to cross their 1447-stone bridge.  However, in 1770, a man by the name of Thomas Covey made Waterford’s first bridge proposal, to physically link Waterford with the Kilkenny side.

Thomas Covey Bridge Plan 1770

*Thomas Covey Bridge Plan 1770, image courtesy of Michael O’Sullivan WHG

In a paper titled “A Scheme for Building a Bridge over the River Suire at the City of Waterford“, he made a very strong argument for a bridge project, covering such arguments as the commercial, social, hydrographic and engineering involved.

The Design: A Bridge of Stone and Arches

Covey’s design proposed a bridge with no opening for shipping to cross from approximately where Dooley’s Hotel now stands on the present quay.  It was to be six hundred and one feet long. Forty feet wide to include a thirty-foot carriageway and a ten-foot walkway on the downriver side.

Constructed of stone, it would have comprised nine arches fixed on eight piers and two abutments (at the two shorelines). The centre arch would be sixty-five feet, the next on each side sixty feet, the next adjoining fifty feet, and the smaller arches to reach the shorelines would have each been forty-five feet.

Waterford 1930s showing the dredger Portlairge off the then graving bank

Waterford 1930s showing the dredger Portlairge off the then graving bank. Image courtesy of Frank Cheevers WMH

River Traffic and the Role of the Lighters

Although Covey acknowledged river freight, he was rather dismissive of it. He proposed to construct two arches, which would be deep enough to allow keeled vessels through the spans. An opening span would weaken the structure, he claimed. But he was also of the opinion that only shallow flat flat-bottomed boats would regularly travel under the bridge. What he described as 20-ton carrying flat-bottom boats drawing only four feet of water would find no difficulty in travelling through the bridge. He was referring to the Lighters.

“…made for the Shallow shores and Pills that run into the river, and that carry up goods to the towns of Clonmel and Carrick; for none other will answer the purpose. Then what obstruction can those meet with; not from the Bank, because there will be a foot or two of water more, than the largest of them draws, at flat Low-water, and a time, when a boat of them on the River does move. The common motion of those boats are, at the times of flood and ebb, when the current carries them easily to the places they are bound to…”

Funding the Dream: Subscriptions, Loans, Lotteries and Tolls

He estimated a cost of £36,745 for the construction. To pay for it he proposed that “…to raise the necessary capital by ” Subscriptions, Loans, and by Lottery Schemes, as is practised in other parts of the Kingdom for raising money for Public Works…”

Repayments might be made by charging tolls, and to this end, his design included “At each end of the Bridge…a small building for the convenience of Watchmen and Pontage-gatherers, as well as for the beautiful termination of the Bridge.”

Perhaps sensing that the citizens then as now might object to a toll, he sweetens his proposal by adding wistfully, ” This Bridge in time may become a Free Bridge to the public well reimbursed for the expense and disappointments they have met with there some hundred years past for the want thereof.” To which every Waterford person replied, then as now, “It will, yeah”

New Bridge sections in place in Waterford City

New (Sustainable Transport) bridge sections in place in Waterford City, photo courtesy of James Doherty

The Ferry Problem: A Trade Obstacle

He had much to say on the existing ferries at Grannagh and Ferrybank and made a very strong argument on how this was injurious to the trade of Waterford. One example was cattle.

“The principal export Trade of this City hath been for these many years past chiefly in Beef, Pork, and Butter; and those are commodities that are mostly brought here from other counties [and]…are generally drove by Land. And in driving those useful and beneficial creatures to our markets, just at the door thereof through which they are to enter, Behold! there is a full-stop made; they must be battered and drove into the Ferry-boat, fretting and wasting themselves, while they are bound down with rings and ropes to secure them. The young well-fed beast will not comply to this usage, but often plunges out into the tide, and after a long drift way up stream or down stream as the current answers, the fatigued creature is with much difficulty got to land. What relief can there be, for what is so prejudicial to the trader, but a Bridge.”

One aspect he failed to properly address, however, was that the existing ferries operated under royal charter. He did acknowledge this impediment to the project, but did not attempt to outline the very sizable issues that might arise.

A Strategic Location – or a Flawed One?

As I mentioned above, he also downplayed the need for port facilities, which were expanding at the time. Covey proposed building it at the existing graving bank – a necessary work area for sailing ships of the time, which he proposed to move downriver. He seemed confident that the rate of shipping could be contained by the facilities to the east of the bridge, although interestingly, I think he could envision to importance of the northern bank to the developing trade. He also acknowledged the concern that the structure may cause silting at the existing quays, due to the impediments it would pose to the free flow of the Suir. All was justified, he felt, due to the distance to the offshore and the kind of ground that the building would be founded on.

Hebo lift 9 being towed into Waterford City off Cheekpoint, Co Waterford

Hebo lift 9 being towed into Waterford City by tug Dutch Power in preparation for the lift of new bridge sections

Legacy: A Vision That Came Too Soon

Covey’s proposal faded away, but not the need for a bridge. It would be a further 24 years before Waterford got its first river crossing. It would be located a bit further west.  Although many of the same issues that Covey had sought to allay in his paper were still a concern, it was the ferry and its charter that proved the most difficult obstacle to the project. A topic I might return to at a later stage. For now, I can only marvel along with the crowd lined quay, at the incredible display of engineering that is built on the legacy of engineers of vision, such as Covey, all those years ago.

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2 Comments

  1. Mark Minihan

    Andrew,
    as usual you have provided another brilliant record of events on the estuary. I had to go to Galway and missed the bridge lifting activity. Your photographs tell the whole story,Thank you.
    I often wondered how New Ross competed so strongly with Waterford Port in the 13th and 14th centuries. The advantage we had was the bridge provided by Earl William Marshall at the beginning of the 13th. Cent. When the first bridge was eventually built in Waterford in 1790’s, the builder provided several other bridges in the country.(New Ross, FerryMountGarrett and Derry) there must be material for a book or at least a few blogs on that subject.
    We are lucky to have you looking under the stones in our rivers to document our history.
    Keep up the good work.

    Reply
    • andrew

      Hi Mark, thats a great point in terms of the New Ross crossing. It did strike me as odd that there seems to have been nothing eariler at Waterford – or perhaps it was never recorded. But when Coxs bridge was finally opened in 1794 it must have been a gamechanger, certainly the port flourished in the following century. I hope to do something on the first bridge, because, bizarly, he never included an opening span at the outset…a point that is not generally known as all the photos show one.

      Reply

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