The Forth Bridge

Category

Library Item

Item no

15333

Title

The Forth Bridge, one of the engineering wonders of the world

Artist / maker

Inglis, Francis Caird

Date

1925

Size

7 x 16 cm

Type

Photograph; Reproduction

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

The Forth Rail Bridge was constructed between 1883 and 1890 and was designed by Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker. The contract for the construction of the bridge was awarded to Tancred, Arrol & Co by the Forth Bridge Company. It took seven years to build and at the height of the works, 4600 men were employed.

Construction began only a few years after the Tay Rail Bridge disaster in which over 70 people were killed. In order to allay the fears of the public in the wake of this catastrophe the structure of this cantilever bridge was designed to be both visually impressive and enormously strong.

The bridge stretches 1.5 miles across the Firth of Forth between South and North Queensferry and its three towers are over 100m high. The bridge was opened on the 4th of March 1890 by the then Prince of Wales, later Edward VII.

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Related subjects

Landscape > Water > Rivers and streams

Places > Edinburgh areas > Queensferry

Places > Edinburgh Landmarks > Forth Rail Bridge

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Transport > Infrastructure > Bridges

Transport > Infrastructure > Railway bridges

Transport > Infrastructure > Steel bridges

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