Glasgow, Glasgow Green, Polmadie Bridge
Footbridge (20th Century), Graffiti(S) (21st Century), Street Art (21st Century), Tag(S) (21st Century)
Site Name Glasgow, Glasgow Green, Polmadie Bridge
Classification Footbridge (20th Century), Graffiti(S) (21st Century), Street Art (21st Century), Tag(S) (21st Century)
Alternative Name(s) River Clyde; Provost Or Fleshers' Haugh; Richmond Park; Rutherglen
Canmore ID 277705
Site Number NS66SW 960
NGR NS 60129 63293
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/277705
- Council Glasgow, City Of
- Parish Glasgow (City Of Glasgow)
- Former Region Strathclyde
- Former District City Of Glasgow
- Former County Lanarkshire
NS66SW 960 60129 63293
For predecessor footbridge (at the same location), see NS66SW 961.
Not to be confused with footbridge carrying the path along the S bank of the River Clyde across the mouth of the Polmadie Burn (at NS 60166 63253), for which see NS66SW 962.01.
Polmadie Bridge [NAT]
OS 1:1250 map, 1954.
Polmadie Bridge, 1954-5. Engineer Robert Bruce; contractor Melville, Dundas and Whitson. A prestressed concrete footbridge of plain elevation, sitting happily in its parkland setting. 3.6m (12ft) wide, its tall slim piers supporting five spans of white concrete beams and simple balustrade, set in a slightly rising curve and all with exposed-aggregrate texture.
E Williamson, A Riches and M Higgs 1990.
This bridge carries a footpath across the River Clyde between Provost or Flesher's Haugh, Glasgow Green (to the N) and Richmond Park (NS66SW 962.00), Rutherglen (to the S). The river here forms the boundary between the parishes of Glasgow (to the N) and Rutherglen (to the S).
The location assigned to this record defines the centre of the span. The 1954 edition of the OS 1:1250 map suggests that the bridge extends from NS c. 60132 63331 to NS c. 60126 63236. The map was surveyed in 1953, suggesting that the depiction is that of the predecessor bridge; the present structure is assumed to share the location (and presumably the foundations).
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 14 December 2005.
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)
Polmadie Footbridge is a pre-stressed four-span concrete footbridge built in 1954– 55 at Glasgow Green. The engineer was Robert Bruce. This bridge replaced one with a span at each side of 40 ft flanking two central ones of 60 ft 6 in. using girders 4 ft deep with piers formed of three rows of timber piles. When built from 1899–1901 this bridge, costing £10 076, was enclosed in timbered ornamental work giving it the appearance of an arch bridge. It was opened on 13 June, the same day as the first King’s Bridge. Polmadie Bridge was partially destroyed by fire in 1921 and new girders supplied for the central spans. The timber arch-work was
omitted. It was closed in 1939. The contractor for the 1901 bridge was William Kennedy of Partick and Sir William Arrol & Co. for the 1921 refurbishment.
R Paxton and J Shipway 2007
Reproduced from 'Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Lowlands and Borders' with kind permission of Thomas Telford Publishers.
Field Visit (28 September 2017)
On the date of visit graffiti was visible on the sides of the concrete north abutment and on the N side of the concrete northernmost pier of what had once been a footbridge but which had lost its original concrete decking some years previous due to safety fears. A new decking was installed in 2018, at which time the approaches to the bridge were also reconfigured. It is not known whether the graffiti survived this process.
Visited by HES Survey and Recording (JRS, AMcC) 28 September 2017.
