Trentham Gardens

In July 2004 S3i Stainless Steel Solutions provided the 6mm cable balustrading and 16mm support cables for a new footbridge in the re-opened Trentham Gardens, Staffordshire.

Opened in September 2004, the bridge leads visitors from the visitor centre to the beautifully restored Italian Garden.

The photos record this installation and illustrate the specialised service we offer.

Cables were swaged using a portable swaging machine which offers flexibility on-site depending on requirement. Here Tony is swaging the 16mm 7x19 cable used to support the bridge structure. The 6mm 1x19 balustrade infill cables in the background are in position and just need pre-tensioning and securing on the end posts.

In this picture you can see the balustrade cables in the foreground have already been pre-tensioned and secured with nuts on the end posts. The cables in the background are not yet tensioned.

These three cables are one of a set of two that link to the Single Support Spire from the bank side of the bridge. Two other sets of three cables extend from the Support Spire to the bridge itself.

Here you can see the two sets of three 16mm 7x19 cables that support the bridge structure. The cables connect to the bridge element with swage stud/fork tensioners and to the Spire with swage forks.

The balustrade infill consists of a series of 30 metre single span runs of 6mm 1x19 stainless steel cable with swage studs at each end, and are secured using a nut and dome nut. These were installed with our unique pre-tensioning method and present a tamper resistant, stylish and minimalist finish.

Another photo showing how the balustrading and cabling produce sleek clean lines. The Single Support Mast can be seen in the background.

This aerial photo taken from the 'Cherry Picker' gives a good idea of how the bridge is supported by the 16mm cables.

This shot shows how the cables configure from the Single Support Spire. Those on the left link to the bankside bulkheads and those on the right attach to the bridge stucture itself.

A completely overhead view of the Single Support Spire looking directly down to the fixing lugs onto which the swage forks are connected. It shows the two sets of cables which link to the bankside bulkheads, and the two sets of cables that link to the bridge element.

This is a sideways on view of the Spire that shows how the swage forks attach to the lugs on the Spire. The tension on these cables is made with the swage stud/fork tensioner that connects to the bankside bulkhead.

With the job completed and having worked 'flat out' all day Tony, part of the installation team, demonstrates exactly how he's feeling!!