Bailey Bridge (Walton on Trent)
bridge in Staffordshire

The Bailey Bridge (also known as Walton Bridge) is a crossing of the River Trent at Walton-on-Trent on the border of Derbyshire and Staffordshire in England. The bridge is only one lane wide with access controlled by a tidal flow system controlled by signals at either end of the bridge. A separate footbridge is attached to the northern side of the structure.
Description
The bridge carries Station Lane over the River Trent and its floodplains which mark the boundary between Staffordshire and Derbyshire. The bridge is owned by Derbyshire County Council. It has a total span of 85.4 metres (280 ft) and a width of 6.45 metres (21.2 ft). It consists of a metal truss vehicular bridge supported on two brick abutments with a concrete central pier. The east abutment and central pier lie on either side of the river and the west abutment is in the flood plain. Originally designed for a 7.5-tonne gross vehicle weight rating (GVW) traffic is currently restricted to a maximum of 3 tonnes GVW. Only one traffic lane is provided, with tidal flows controlled by signals at both ends of the bridge. Vehicles are restricted to 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) and traffic barriers at either end narrow the road to reduce vehicle speeds and enforce a 7.5 foot (2.3 m) width restriction.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Bailey Bridge (Walton on Trent)” is bridge in Staffordshire. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Bailey, Bridge and Walton, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “bridge in Staffordshire” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q59652995. Authority coordinates are 52.761, -1.684. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Bailey Bridge (Walton on Trent)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Bailey Bridge (Walton on Trent) primary sources, Bailey Bridge (Walton on Trent) archive and Bailey research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Bailey Bridge (Walton on Trent)”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Bailey Bridge (Walton on Trent)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.