An unassuming metal bridge which crosses the Basingstoke Canal at Aldershot is now listed at Grade II thanks to its unusual military history.
The bridge near Aldershot is one of only ten Inglis Pyramid Bridges known to have been manufactured during the 1914–1918 conflict and is likely to be the only example still in use as a bridge in England.
This was the first portable bridge designed by War Office engineer Charles Inglis. Made of lightweight steel it was quick and easy to construct with little training and could be reused.
The design was used effectively by soldiers during the First World War, especially in France, and was hugely influential in the development of future military bridges.
Inglis bridges were used by the British Army and Allied Forces as far afield as Pakistan and India. The patented design continued to be refined and Inglis bridges were still used during the Second World War, before largely being replaced by the stronger Bailey bridge, pioneered by Donald Bailey.
The structure’s listed status has been awarded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England.
Later versions of Inglis bridges can be found in Monmouth, Wales; on display at the Royal Engineers Museum in Gillingham, Kent; and near Hunterville in the Rangitikei district of the North Island of New Zealand.
Tom Foxall, Regional Director at Historic England, said: “The Inglis Pyramid Bridge over the Basingstoke Canal has an extraordinary backstory. Hidden in plain sight, this deceivingly simple structure is a masterpiece of military engineering and was the first version of a type of lightweight bridge which was deployed extensively overseas. The bridge is thought to have been brought back to Aldershot from France and remarkably has been in its current position for at least 60 years.”
For a little bit more information about Sir Charles Edward Inglis (1875-1952) keep reading.
Inglis was a lecturer in Engineering at the University of Cambridge before being commissioned into the Royal Engineers and appointed to the War Office, where he was in charge of bridge design and supply.
After the war he was awarded an OBE and returned to Cambridge as a Professor and Head of the Engineering Department, a post he held until his retirement in 1943. He was president of the Institution of Civil Engineers 1941-42. In 1945 he was granted a knighthood for his public services.
Inglis was held in high regard; one of the buildings at the Engineering Department of the University of Cambridge is named after him.