Glasgow, Kelvingrove Park, Kelvin Way, Bridge
Road Bridge (Period Unassigned)
Site Name Glasgow, Kelvingrove Park, Kelvin Way, Bridge
Classification Road Bridge (Period Unassigned)
Alternative Name(s) River Kelvin; Kelvinway Bridge; Kelvin Way Bridge
Canmore ID 165112
Site Number NS56NE 1476
NGR NS 56949 66255
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/165112
- Council Glasgow, City Of
- Parish Govan (City Of Glasgow)
- Former Region Strathclyde
- Former District City Of Glasgow
- Former County Lanarkshire
NS56NE 1476 56949 66255
See also NS56NE 4878 - South Gate Bridge
NS56NE 4879 - 1888 Exhibition Bridge
Not to be confused with (New) Prince of Wales Bridge (NS 57149 66497), for which see NS56NE 1477.
Bridge, Kelvin Way, built 1914. A single segmental masonry arch, with solid parapets. There are impressive sculptured groups at the ends.
J R Hume 1974.
Kelvin Way Bridge. A red sandstone bridge of 1913-14 in Kelvingrove Park. Engineer Alex. B McDonald (City Engineer): contractor John Emery & Sons. A single arch with generous roadway, 18m (60ft) wide between the parapets. On high pedestals at the four corners of the span, bronze scupltures by Paul Raphael Montford, commissioned in 1914 but not erected until c. 1920, each of two figures representing Peace and War, Progress and Prosperity, Navigation and Shipbuilding, and Commerce and Industry. Each pair is grouped about a sandstone pillar cxarved with strapwork and topped by four dolphin heads and a lamp standard.
E Williamson, A Riches and M Higgs 1990.
This bridge was built to extend the South Gate entrance into a grand boulevard through Kelvingrove Park; the former South Gate Bridge (NS56NE 4878) was demolished.
D Boyce 1996.
This bridge carries Kelvin Way (a public road) across the River Kelvin within the area of Kelvingrove Park (NS56NE 328) and to the E of the Kelvingrove Museum (NS56NE 329). The river here forms the boundary between the parishes of Govan (to the N) and Glasgow (to the S).
The location cited defines the centre of the structure. The available map evidence indicates that it extends from NS c. 56939 66233 to NS c. 56958 66274.
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 2 December 2005.
The NW bronze sculpture represents Philosophy & Inspiration, not Progress & Prosperity as previously documented.
IA August 2009
Construction (1899 - 1914)
A.B. MacDonald, City Engineer. John Emery and Sons, contractors.
E Williamson, A Riches and M Higgs 1990 quote as dating from 1913-1914.
Project (2007)
This project was undertaken to input site information listed in 'Civil engineering heritage: Scotland - Lowlands and Borders' by R Paxton and J Shipway, 2007.
Publication Account (2007)
An ornamental single-span masonry late-19th century [1913-14 date quoted E Williamson, A Riches and M Higgs 1990] arch in red sandstone carrying a 60 ft wide roadway over the Kelvin. It carries bronze sculptures in pairs at each abutment, eight in all, damaged during Second World War, by a German air raid.
The engineer was A. B. MacDonald, City Engineer and the contractor, John Emery & Sons.
R Paxton and J Shipway 2007
Reproduced from 'Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Lowlands and Borders' with kind permission of Thomas Telford Publishers.
