Construction of the Forth Rail Bridge

Category

Library Item

Item no

28761

Title

View from North Queensferry of the construction of the Forth Rail Bridge

Artist / maker

Wilson, George Washington

Date

1887

Size

8.2 x 8.2 cm

Type

Lantern slide

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. 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 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. A memorial to those who died has been erected in South Queensferry. The bridge was opened on the 4th of March 1890 by the then Prince of Wales, later Edward VII.

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