There is a tale about this bridge that Benjamin Gott built it to allow his workers who worked in his mills to get to work quicker.
There was an iron bridge standing here (Redcote Lane) in the 1830s which was built by Gott but this bridge was a Toll bridge it had two Toll houses either side of the bridge on the Kirkstall/Burley side of the river.
The bridge you see today was built between 1904-1912.They basically stuck the iron girders of the bridge onto the stonework of the previous one, or so it looks to me.
A little further up the river near where Burley Mills was there is another smaller foot bridge built by Gott. Could this be the bridge he built for his workers?
This footbridge was around in 1840s but may have been built earlier. Nothing but two pillars remain of the bridge today it stood until 1954.
Interestingly the bridge on Redcote Lane was built by Frodingham Iron Co. Joseph Cliff of Wortley was a principal of this company.
My gt gt grandfather lived in one of the Toll houses on this bridge in the 1830’s as one of his daughters died registered living there in 1838. He was farmer and gardener looking after the famous rose garden as one of his roles, which he began with the Gott’s in 1826. He moved around the Gott estate to different homes throughout his 30 yrs + with the family. He must have been one of the earliest residents of Burley as the railway had yet to be built and there were no houses in the area until around 1845 which were below the viaduct the next were still some distance away near West Street.
The closest property was The Cardigan Arms Inn a coaching inn at that time and stood slightly further back than the now Victorian fronted pub which stands on Kirkstall road.