Ellenfoot Bridge

Maryport’s historic Elizabeth Dock has long been the focal point of the town. Now a new iconic lift bridge has bought the past and the future together.

In July seven-year-old Melissa Lewis-Gress from Netherton Infants School in Maryport won the West Lakes Renaissance competition to find a name for the £800,000 footbridge – the only one of its kind in the country.

Her winning entry of "Ellenfoot" impressed the judges for the way it brought Maryport's past back to life and attached it to a striking symbol of the historic port's future. Maryport was called Ellenfoot until 1756 when Humphrey Senhouse changed the name in honour of his new wife Mary.

The footbridge is designed around a Dutch lift bridge, can be controlled manually or remotely and is wide enough for a wheelchair and cyclist to pass side by side. It was paid for by West Lakes Renaissance and the European Development Fund to replace a walkway that had to be closed for safety reasons.