The Ha'penny Bridge |
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The Ha'penny Bridge (Irish: Droichead na Leathphingine) is a foot bridge over the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland linking Liffey Street Lower to Merchant's Arch. Made of cast-iron, the bridge built in 1816 has a main span of 43m, a rise of 3.35m and cast at Coalbrookdale in Shropshire. The Ha'penny Bridge was originally known as the Wellington Bridge (after the Duke of Wellington), and was later changed to Liffey Bridge. The Liffey Bridge (Irish: Droichead na Life) remains the bridge's official name to this day - though it is still commonly known as the Ha'penny Bridge. The bridge has also been known for a time as the Penny Ha'penny Bridge and the Metal Bridge. Before the Ha'penny Bridge was built there were seven ferries, operated by a William Walsh, across the Liffey. The ferries were in a bad condition and Walsh was informed that he had to either fix them or build a bridge. Walsh chose to build a bridge and was granted the right to extract a half a penny toll from anyone crossing it. |
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