 Page 's design was typical of suspension bridges of the period , and consisted of a wrought iron deck and four 97 @-@ foot ( 30 m ) cast iron towers supporting chains , which in turn supported the weight of the deck . The towers rested on a pair of timber and cast iron piers . The towers passed through the deck , meaning that between the towers the road was seven feet ( 2 @.@ 1 m ) narrower than on the rest of the bridge . Although work had begun in 1851 delays in the closure of the Chelsea Waterworks , which only completed its relocation to Seething Wells in 1856 , caused lengthy delays to the project , and the Edinburgh @-@ made ironwork was only transported to the site in 1856 . 
