Grosvenor Bridge, Chester

The Grosvenor Bridge in Chester is an impressive single-span stone arch bridge that crosses the River Dee on the A483 Grosvenor Road. Designed by the renowned architect Thomas Harrison and completed in 1833, the bridge was a monumental feat of engineering for its time. Officially opened on 17 October 1832 by Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and her daughter, Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent (later Queen Victoria), it immediately captured international attention.

At the time of its construction, the Grosvenor Bridge was the longest single-span stone arch bridge in the world, a title it proudly held for 30 years. Its remarkable 200-foot (61-meter) span and 60-foot (18-meter) height were essential for allowing Chester’s thriving shipbuilding industry to accommodate tall ships passing underneath. Built primarily of Anglesey limestone for the arch and gritstone for the remaining structure, its span remains the longest masonry arch in Britain to this day.

The bridge was constructed to address severe congestion caused by Chester’s only other river crossing, the Old Dee Bridge in Handbridge, a narrow medieval structure. At the beginning of the 19th century, trade routes connecting Shrewsbury to Irish ferries at Holyhead threatened to bypass Chester entirely, prompting the city to commission a modern bridge.

Today, the Grosvenor Bridge is a Grade I listed structure on the National Heritage List for England, celebrated for its historical and architectural significance. It offers scenic upriver views of Chester Castle, Handbridge, the mansions of Curzon Park, and the nearby Roodee racecourse. The River Dee, being tidal, provides an ever-changing waterscape below this iconic structure.