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View looking along deck of bridge from north east

SC 769038

Description View looking along deck of bridge from north east

Date 18/6/2001

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number SC 769038

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of E 16093 CN

Scope and Content Balmoral Bridge, Balmoral Estate, Aberdeenshire, from the north-east This single-span, wrought-iron, plate-girder bridge, was designed by the renowned engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and the iron-founder was R Brotherhood of Chippenham, Wiltshire. The two riveted girders have a span of 39.8m and support a 4.1m-wide deck of pine planking and tarmac. The girders are pierced with a simple diamond pattern in which rivets and plates are used effectively as part of the design. The bridge was completed in 1857, and is probably the earliest bridge of its type in Scotland. The two riveted girders are almost unique in Brunel's work, the closest example being a girder bridge designed for the East Bengal Railway Company. The bridge, however, did not please Queen Victoria, who thought it 'not extremely ornamental' and made no mention of it in her journal, an unusual omission from the queen who was usually effusive about any new Albert-inspired improvement to the estate. Brunel, who described the bridge as having 'functional elegance', never asked for a fee. The Balmoral estate was bought in 1852 by Prince Albert and Queen Victoria as a Highland retreat from the stresses of London life. Prince Albert initiated many improvements, including the building of a new holiday home, Balmoral Castle, in 1853-5 and the construction of new cottages for estate workers, new stables, new bridges, roads, plantations and a model dairy. Balmoral Bridge was commissioned by the prince in 1854 to form a new approach to the castle from the north. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/769038

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap

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