Design Trinity Chain Pier

plan of pier, brown s book

the pier proposed lieutenant george crichton of london, leith, edinburgh , glasgow steam navigation company. in 1820 lord provost , magistrates of edinburgh granted company permission pier s construction. company transferred permission trinity pier company administer construction , operate pier, , in turn commissioned captain samuel brown design pier first independent project. alexander scott ws, 1 of trustees of company, granted permission build pier on land. scott , alexander stevenson directors of trinity pier company, , crichton treasurer. cost £4000 build.

brown (1776–1852) veteran of napoleonic wars , had taken part in capture of superior french ship in 1805. patented method of building suspension bridges in 1817. designed extant 1820 union bridge near berwick-upon-tweed, biggest suspension bridge in world when built, , first in britain carry vehicles.

while serving in royal navy, brown had experimented using chain instead of rope in rigging sailing ships, , in 1808 patented new kind of wrought-iron chain. sold design admiralty, used anchor cable on ships. brown considered using piles support pier superior traditional method of building in stone, because more economical build , easier ships dock with. cited pile-supported piers @ yarmouth, ostend , kronstadt had been successful long periods based on design. brown had used chains in designs of britain s first suspension bridges; realised chains made out of eye bolts joined stronger traditional designs based on shorter links. regarded leading promoter of suspension bridges. proposed suspension piers support military , rescue operations. on 14 august 1822 brown married mary horne edinburgh. after pier @ trinity went on build similar larger royal suspension chain pier in brighton in 1823. destroyed storm in 1896.

plaque on stone anchorage inside old chain pier pub

the pier 700 feet (210 m) long 4-foot-wide (1.2 m) passenger deck. comprised 3 209-foot-long (64 m) wooden spans suspended 10 feet (3.0 m) above high water lengths of wrought-iron chain connecting cast-iron standards shore. each standard in shape of arch passengers walked through. 1838 passenger deck had rails fitted assist in moving large items of luggage. chain made of eye bolts 10 feet (3.0 m) long, which, uniquely among brown s designs, varied in thickness according load expected carry. long eye bolts joined shorter linking plates, , hung in catenary 14 feet (4.3 m) tops of standards. chains crossed standards on cast-iron saddles. 3 seaward standards built on platforms anchored wooden piles driven foreshore. largest platform, formed head of pier, 60 feet (18 m) 50 feet (15 m), , covered in 2-inch (51 mm) thick planks. length of pier head extended 70 feet (21 m) prior november 1821. supported on 46 piles driven 8 feet (2.4 m) clay seabed. @ landward end chain passed on solid masonry construction, 6 feet (1.8 m) square , 20 feet (6.1 m) high, , anchored @ 45° angle 10 feet (3.0 m) hard clay soil. seaward end of chain went on outer piles @ same angle, , piles braced diagonal supports take sideways load. there 4-foot-high (1.2 m) wrought-iron railing along length of deck, straight diagonal members connecting deck standards, , iron bracing under deck. pier designed passenger use only, , moved noticeably when walked on.

brown tested pier on 21 september 1821 having 21 tons of pig-iron ballast placed on spans while in use passengers. french engineer claude-louis navier inspected pier in 1821, , reported structure strengthened against wind loads in 1822, following behaviour during storms in first winter.

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