Bridge Over Calder's Waters; Picture of the Week 8 November 2012

Sterne Bridge crosses the Calder River just where it leaves the mill town of Sowerby Bridge in West Yorkshire. High on the hill across the valley stands the landmark of Wainhouse Tower.

Sterne Bridge and Wainhouse Tower 2011

The river flows on through the towns of Brighouse, Mirfield and Dewsbury before enterning the city of Wakefield. Then it proceeds to Castleford where it joins the River Aire. The Calder's water then joins successively the Ouse and Trent as they cross the rest of Yorkshire, before falling into the North Sea via the Humber estuary.

Meanwhile Sterne Bridge, which is dated 1914 and was one of the earliest reinforced-concrete slab bridges in the UK, goes nowhere. Calderdale Council, in their wisdom, decided it was unsafe and closed it in 2010, to the discomfiture of residents south of the river who were left with an inconvenient treck to get to town.

Immediately downstream of the bridge is a beautiful L-shaped wier - see http://www.geolocation.ws/v/W/File:River%20Calder%20-%20geograph.org.uk%20-%20983914.jpg/-/en
 
We surveyed the bridge in 2011. Due to restricted access I was unable to photograph on the north bank, or downstream.