Forth Rail Bridge

March 2015 marked the 125th anniversary of the Forth Rail Bridge. In July 2015 the Forth Bridge became the sixth Scottish landmark to be awarded Unesco World Heritage Site status and there is little doubt that the iconic structure is recognised worldwide.

However, the Forth Rail Bridge may have looked very different. Construction on the original Forth Bridge design by engineer Thomas Bouch was halted in 1879 when, during a dreadful storm the navigation spans collapsed on the Tay Bridge which he had also designed. A train had been crossing the bridge and over 70 lives were lost.

To allay the fears of the public in the wake of the Tay disaster the structure of the Forth Bridge was designed to be both visually impressive and enormously strong. Work restarted on a new cantilever design by Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker.

The Forth Rail Bridge stretches 1.5 miles across the Firth of Forth between South and North Queensferry and its three towers are over 100m high. The creation of this monumental structure came at a heavy price. In addition to the high economic cost of roughly £2.5 million, more than 60 men lost their lives whilst working on the bridge. This exhibition includes awe-inspiring pictures of the Bridge in mid-construction, views from high amongst the girders and photos of some of the men who risked their lives to realize this feat of Victorian engineering.

The bridge was opened on the 4th March 1890 by the then Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, who added the final rivet to the immense structure.

View our companion Forth Road Bridge exhibition which celebrated the Bridge's 50th year and looked ahead to the Queensferry Crossing.

You can discover more about the 3 bridges that span both the Forth and 3 centuries from the Forth Bridges website.