It was closed in 1967 but later strengthened and repaired with an internal concrete structure and it re-opened in 1982. The bridge served the main route to the Blue Mountains for 93 years until 1926, when the Great Western Highway was re-routed via the Knapsack Viaduct. Mitchell's Pass continued to be used, however, and by 1975 it was plain that substantial works were necessary to secure the safety of Lennox Bridge. Mitchell's Pass began to bear more traffic than was comfortable for Lenox Bridge, although the conversion of Knapsack Viaduct from a trail line to a road bridge in 1926 opened a new road route up the Monocline and at last diverted much of the traffic from Mitchell's Pass. The success of the railway after 1867 diverted much transport business away from the road until the twentieth century and advent of the motor vehicle. The bridge remained very robust and carried increasingly heavy traffic as the Great Road to the west became busier. Ī small crack appeared beside the arch but Lennox advised against taking any remedial action. A nearby quarry is thought to have been created for the purpose of providing stone for the bridge. It replaced an earlier crossing of the creek 600 metres (2,000 ft) further south, which today survives as a walking track. It crosses Brookside Creek (also known as Lapstone Creek) on the road known as Mitchell's Pass. Lennox Bridge, opened in 1833, is the oldest surviving stone arch bridge on the Australian mainland. There has been weathering on the south side but the AD1833 stone is still in very good condition. He agreed that on the upstream side (the south side), the inscription should commemorate the man he had chosen so percipiently, so the masons carved "DAVID LENNOX", while on the north side they carved "AD 1833". īy March 1833, the experimental bridge was so far advanced that Mitchell had to decide what should be carved on the keystones. The design called for a horseshoe shape to give optimum strength. By early November 1832, he and his selected twenty convicts with suitable experience had opened a quarry near the creek, had cut a number of stone blocks and were ready to start building operations. His first task was to plan and organise the spanning of Lapstone Creek on Mitchell's Pass. Īnd on 1 October 1832, only seven weeks after his arrival in the colony, Lennox was appointed (subject to London's confirmation) Sub-Inspector of Bridges in New South Wales. Surveyor General Thomas Mitchell, Letter to Perry, 22 March 1833. 'Mr David Lennox, who left his stone wall at my request, and with his sleeves still tucked up, came with me to my office, and undertook to plan the stone bridges required, make the centring arches and to carry on such works by directing and instructing the common labourers then at the disposal of the NSW Government.' Mitchell surveyed and recommended the construction of a road along this route midway between the other two in preference to the Governor's suggestion of stationing a permanent repair gang on the Old Bathurst Road. Mitchell's attention was focussed on providing a more direct and easily graded route for the Great Western Road. When Major Thomas Mitchell was appointed as Surveyor General in 1828, one of the first matters to which he turned his attention was the improvement of the Great Western Road. It avoided watercourses, but its grade was very steep and this rendered it hazardous to travellers. This road was superseded in 1824 by what was known as the Bathurst Road (now Old Bathurst Road). The first road up the eastern slopes of the Blue Mountains, built by William Cox (1814–15), was in Governor Macquarie's words "pretty steep and sharp" and was found to be subject to serious washways. The stone arch bridge is a single arch of 6 metres (20 ft) span and is 9 metres (30 ft) above water level, with a road width of 9 metres (30 ft). It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. The property is owned by Blue Mountains City Council. It is also known as Lennox Bridge or The Horseshoe Bridge. The bridge was designed by David Lennox and built from 1832 to 1833 by James Randall and other convicts. The Lennox Bridge, Glenbrook is a heritage-listed road bridge that carries the Mitchell's Pass across Brookside Creek (also known as Lapstone Creek), located at Glenbrook, in the City of Blue Mountains local government area of New South Wales, Australia.
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