Ha'penny Bridge
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Beyond it, the dome of the eighteenth century Custom House and Liberty Hall, Dublin's tallest building.
The Ha'penny Bridge (Irish: Droichead na Leathphingine), known later for a time as the Penny Ha'penny Bridge, is a pedestrian bridge built in 1816 over the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland. Originally called the Wellington Bridge (after the Duke of Wellington), the name of the bridge changed to Liffey Bridge, its official name to this day. It is still commonly known as the Ha'penny Bridge. The toll itself was dropped in 1919; before this there were turnstiles either end of it.
Before the Ha'penny Bridge was built there were seven ferries, operated by a William Walsh, across the Liffey. The ferries were in a bad condition and he was informed that he had to either fix them or build a bridge. Walsh chose the latter option and was granted the right to extract a ha'penny toll from anyone crossing it for 100 years.[citation needed]
Made of cast-iron, the bridge was cast at Coalbrookdale in Shropshire. It was closed for repair and renovations between 2001 and 2003 and was reopened sporting its original white colour. The structure was rebuilt to retain as many of its old components as possible. The repair work was carried out by Harland and Wolff, makers of the RMS Titanic.
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