The mystery tent at Jackfield’s bridge celebrations over a century ago

They celebrated putting up a bridge. But what's the story about the tent?

The tent or marquee can be seen on the south bank of the River Severn at Jackfield in old postcards featuring the Free Bridge, which opened in 1909, from the collection of Bridgnorth postcard collector Ray Farlow.

It is a riddle which seems to have been solved by a leaflet kept in an old Bible. And the clues point to the reason being a travelling Scottish preacher who pitched his tent there to take advantage of the sensation caused by the opening of the new bridge.

Bill Jones of Broseley came forward with the small card or leaflet, which had been in his family Bible, when we looked to solve the puzzle after publishing the bridge picture some years ago.

It advertised meetings at a gospel tent near the new bridge in Jackfield, with the message reading: "Jackfield. Come to the Gospel Tent (pitched near the New Free Bridge). Meetings conducted by Mr W Hamilton, A Scotch Evangelist. Each Lord’s-day at 3 and 7-30 p.m. Every Week-night (except Saturday) at 7-30. Come and bring a neighbour.”

On the reverse was a picture of “The Shropshire Gospel Tent” with crowds of people in Edwardian dress streaming inside, although it is difficult to tell whether this is identical to the tent featured in the photograph - it is possible it is being seen in the photo from a different angle.

The leaflet is not dated but clearly must be from 1909 or shortly after because it describes the Free Bridge as being "new".

Today a home stands where the tent once stood and the Free Bridge itself has been replaced by the modern Jackfield Bridge.

The building of the Free Bridge was thanks to the generosity of one Mr R Haynes, who died in Montevideo some time around 1905. In his will he left £642 to the municipal authority of the town of his birth – Ironbridge.

And it was that cash which made possible the building of the “Haynes Memorial Bridge” which was formally opened to the public on June 26, 1909, to the delight of a crowd of around 5,000.

The Haynes legacy had kickstarted the project. The fund was swelled by contributions from businesses, the public, and even travelling showmen.

The resulting structure, which cost £1,596, was an early example of ferro-concrete construction.

However the part Haynes had played faded from memory, and the bridge at Jackfield was more commonly known as the Free Bridge. This was because it was free to cross – it was the first toll-free crossing of The Gorge. Its advent relieved folk of the expense, and potential danger, of using the Jackfield ferry.

It served the community for generations, but was not up to the demands of modern traffic and developed structural problems. The last ceremonial crossing of the Free Bridge was by a horse-drawn carriage on August 7, 1993. It was then demolished and a new Jackfield Bridge was built immediately upstream.