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Forth Bridge, floating caisson
Wilson, George Washington, 1883, Lantern slide
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Forth Bridge, floating caisson
Forth Bridge, floating caisson
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Location
Category
Library Item
Item no
28766
Title
Forth Bridge, floating caisson
Artist / maker
Wilson, George Washington
Date
1883
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.
Exhibitions with this item
Forth Bridge Accidents Book, 1883-1886
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Rivers and streams
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Edinburgh Landmarks
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Forth Rail Bridge
Transport
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Railway bridges
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