Restored bronze plaques across city bridges

Commemorative plaques on three bridges across the River Itchen have been restored by specialists in the latest of a series of work to preserve the city’s monuments.

Organised by Southampton City Council’s Cultural Services, five plaques have been restored by Farmers Bronze Restoration:

• two at each end and on opposite sides of Cobden Bridge
• two at each end and on opposite sides of the Itchen Toll Bridge
• and one on the west end and north side of Northam Bridge

The four bridges over the River Itchen have a rich history and the plaques provide information about each bridge such as when they were opened and by whom. The Cobden Bridge plaque, for example, records that it was opened by Lucia Welch, Southampton’s first woman councillor and first woman mayor, who was also a suffragette in her early days.

Over time, the plaques had become worn and corroded, so the restoration has made the plaques more legible to read and more attractive to passers-by.

Councillor Spiros Vassiliou, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture & Heritage comments: “Our city bridges are familiar landmarks, connecting together the East and the West of the city. It’s great to see the restored plaques, prominently displayed on the bridges championing our history and heritage for residents and visitors to see, creating pride in our city’s past.”

In advance of the restoration work, the plaques were DOFF cleaned by the Council’s City Services to prepare and preserve the area, further cleaned to remove corrosion and then repatinated to a dark bronze colour.

The work was carried out using part of the annual bridge structures fund.