Southdown sheep Survival Trust. The original Southdown breed probably reached the United States in 1803. Their popularity grew because the Southdowns were very easy to take care of and were resilient to many problems for which other sheep are known. They later declined in nearly the same pattern that had occurred in England. One other factor that affected the original bloodlines was that the Southdown could not satisfy the consumer demand for larger meat cuts. This was significant in the development and mass production of the larger, leggier Southdown of today. This divergence from the original breed standards was the beginning of
Southdown Road Skew Bridge the bridge. Thus, despite the impressive looking span when viewed face on, the usable span along the axis of the barrel is less so, to the extent that the road is visibly narrower where it passes under the bridge. For a "true" skew arch the ratio of the span on the square to the span on the skew is equal to the cosine of the skew angle, but for a ribbed skew arch this ratio is made even less favourable due to the steps in the barrel wall. Southdown Road Skew Bridge Southdown Road Skew Bridge is a ribbed skew