A Bridge Like a Cathedral at Tonnay Charente

A revolution in terms of conditions of circulation occured in 1825 when the first French suspension-bridge was built. Thanks to spans four times greater than an usual masonry bridge, it was then made very easy to cross rivers and valleys. The records will not cease until 2005 when the longest bridge in the world was erected at Millau, 2.5 kilometers above the Tarn Valley.

In order to connect Tonnay-Charente to the village of Saint-Hyppolite, several bridges were constructed during the Middle-Ages. The foundations of piles were found in the Charente River. From the XVIIth to the XIXth century, it was a ferry-boat that enabled to cross this river which is up to 80 meters wide. The suspension-bridge was edified in 1841-1842 after drawings of Louis Dor, an engineer-in-chief of Public Works. It is 23 meters wide and 206 meters long. Its masonries are inspired by the Gothic Style and associated with the new techniques of the XIXth century (a metallic structure and cables) for a better stability of the roadway and its flooring. It is this type of work that best responds to the necessity of allowing ships with a 6.30 meters draught to pass under the bridge.

This suspension-bridge, hung on the cliff, includes two toll-stations on Tonnay-Charente side. The anchoring of cables on the marsh side is ensured by a ramp on the embarkment, followed by a 407 m long viaduc whose titanesque piles are topped by a groined vaulting supporting the roadway. The suspension and the roadway have been replaced by Ferdinand Arnodin (who also built the suspension-bridge of Rochefort) in 1884 and also in 1935 by the company Fives-Lille. The bridge which was listed a historic monument in 1988 has recently been repaired and it is again possible for pedestrians and bicycles to cross the river and enjoy the magnificent vista over the lovely city of Tonnay-Charente, the castle and the countryside, and watch the movements of cargo-ships going down by the bows in the mud to turn back. The house of the ferry-man is now ruined but still visible on the abutment-pier of the bridge, on the bank opposite to the city. 

Since the XVth centuty, that is well before Colbert decided to install an arsenal in Rochefort in 1666, the port of Tonnay-Charente was quite prosperous and the ships used to be overhauled here. The barges brought the brandy barrels from the hinterland, the guns from Ruelle, paper, ashlar and returned loaded with wood, English coal or cast-iron. Today Tonnay-Charente, where the quays have just been embellished with palm-trees is a quiet city with a lot of charm and beautiful houses.   

The suspension-bridge at Tonnay-Charente. 

View of the castle.

View of the city.

A beautiful mansion.

Gothic arches of the bridge at Tonnay-Charente.

All photos by the author, copyright Francois Hagnere, July 2010.