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Glasgow, Kirklee Road, Kirklee Bridge

Road Bridge (Period Unassigned)

Site Name Glasgow, Kirklee Road, Kirklee Bridge

Classification Road Bridge (Period Unassigned)

Alternative Name(s) Clouston Street; River Kelvin

Canmore ID 211453

Site Number NS56NE 2909

NGR NS 56859 67865

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/211453

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
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Administrative Areas

  • Council Glasgow, City Of
  • Parish Govan (City Of Glasgow)
  • Former Region Strathclyde
  • Former District City Of Glasgow
  • Former County Lanarkshire

Recording Your Heritage Online

Kirklee Bridge, spanning the River Kelvin gorge from Kirklee Road to Clouston Street, 1899, Charles Forman, of Forman & McCall

Classical, inspired by Piranesi, three-arched, red sandstone with polished granite Ionic columns and balustrade.

Taken from "Greater Glasgow: An Illustrated Architectural Guide", by Sam Small, 2008. Published by the Rutland Press http://www.rias.org.uk

Archaeology Notes

NS56NE 2909 56859 67865

Kirklee Bridge [NAT]

OS 1:1250 map, 1973.

Kirklee Bridge, Kirklee Road: built 1899-1900 for Glasgow Corporation Highways Dept, by Forman and McCall, Engineers. A high semi-elliptical masonry span with anrrow semicircular arches on each side. The main span is flanked by pairs of granite Ionic columns, and there are low-relief carvings of the arms of Glasgow in the spandrels.

J R Hume 1974.

Kirklee Bridge, from Kirklee Road to Clouston Street, 1899-1901. Engineer Charles Formans of Formans and McCall; contractor William and Charles Watson. Probably the best stone bridge in Glasgow; certainly the most exuberant. In its high semi-elliptical arch and pairs of Ionic columns at the abutments, it adheres precisely to the architecture of Robert Mylne's Blackfriars Bridge in London (1760-9, demolished 1864) and the Piranesi engraving from which Mylne drew his inspiration, spurning later adaptations by Rennie (at Kelso, and at waterloo Bridge, London) and others.

It is of red sandstone, except the Ionic columns and the balustrades, which are of polished pink granite. The entablature over the columns lines up with a fine cornice over the large arch. Projecting mouldings outline the border of each spandrel and the circumference of a circle inscribed in it; and filling the circle, also in relief, are the arms of the city - all this carved in situ on the coursed sandstone of the facades. Tall tunnels through both abutments are of V-jointed ashlar, and entered through semicircular arches with carved keystones. The soffit of the large arch is also V-jointed.

Public parkland on the W bank allows good access and views of the bridge.

E Williamson, A Riches and M Higgs 1990.

Like the [nearby] Belmont Street Bridge (NS56NE 2152), this is an exteremely grand and imposing Victorian structure in red sandstone and granite. The main river span is a high arch flanked by pairs of granite columns, with low-relief carvings of the Arms of Glasgow in the spandrels. The land spans consist of narrow but high arches, making perdestrian passage through them a rather daunting experience. The original wrought-iron balustrade lamps havre been removed, but it is hoped that they will (as elsewhere) be restored.

D Boyce 1996.

This bridge carries Kirklee Road across the River Kelvin to the NE of Kelvingrove Park (NS56NE 328). The river here forms the boundary between the parishes of Govan (to the NW) and Glasgow (to the SE).

The location cited defines the centre of the structure. The available map evidence indicates that it extends from NS c. 56852 67873 to NS c. 56872 67850.

Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 5 December 2005.

Architecture Notes

NS56NE 2909 56859 67865

Kirklee Bridge spans the parish boundary between Govan (City of Glasgow) to the NW and Glasgow (City of Glasgow) to the SE.

Information from RCAHMS (KD), June 2003.

Activities

Construction (1899 - 1901)

Charles Forman (d.1901), engineer, Forman and McCall

William and Charles Wilson, Contractors.

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)

This bridge, crossing the Kelvin between Kirklee Road and Clouston Street, was built from 1899–1901 at a cost of £22 000 of which a £9000 contribution was payable by the Caledonian Railway for disturbance of city streets by railway operations.

A substantial traditional style 50 ft wide single-span semi-elliptical arch of 80 ft span with a rise of 3134

ft 9 in., and adjacent 18 ft wide arches for pedestrian use in the abutments, all in red sandstone. Its embellishments include pairs of Ionic columns in polished pink granite and elaborately carved Glasgow coats-of-arms on each elevation. The balustrades also are of pink granite. A bridge with gravitas!

The engineer was Charles Forman (d. 1901) of Formans & McCall and the contractor, Wm. & Charles Wilson.

R Paxton and J Shipway 2007

Reproduced from 'Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Lowlands and Borders' with kind permission of Thomas Telford Publishers.

Photographic Survey (2009)

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