Glimpses of old Glasgow

Part I. Historical

Glasgow Bridges

THE GLASGOW BRIDGE, better known as the Broomielaw or Jamaica Street Bridge, is the second bridge built to give communication between Jamaica Street and Bridge Street. The foundation stone of the first bridge was laid by George Murdoch, Lord Provost and Grand Master Mason, on 29th September, 1768, and was opened for traffic in 1772. It was built by Mr. John Adam from the designs of Mr. William Wylie, architect of the Blackfriars Bridge, London, and cost nearly £9,000. It had seven arches, was 500 feet long and thirty wide within its parapets. The ascents and descents were woful, and it was pitiful to see the horses yoked to their carts trying to gain or leave the bridge: it was really cruelty to animals. Becoming too limited for the commerce of the City, the Bridge Trustees resolved to build a new one, in every way suitable for the fast-growing necessities of that time. This new bridge, now known as Glasgow Bridge, was designed by Telford, and built by Messrs. John Gibb & Son, at a cost of £34,000. The foundation-stone was laid with great masonic pomp by James Ewing, LL.D., F.R.S., Lord Provost, and one of the members of Parliament for the city, on 3rd September, 1833; it was opened for traffic in 1830. Built of sandstone, with granite facings, its total length is 560 feet, and sixty feet wide. It consists of seven handsome arches, and at the time of erection was one of the widest bridges in the kingdom. Ere long it will be one of the bridges of the past. For a considerable time doubts having been expressed as to its stability, the Trustees therefore decided to erect a new one, and as a preparatory step they have erected a wooden accommodation bridge to the east, opened for traffic in March, 1894. This is the first bridge in Glasgow lighted by electricity.

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The wooden bridge at South Portland Street was erected to accommodate the traffic while Broomielaw Bridge was being rebuilt. It was retained for passenger traffic only, and was found to be a great convenience to the growing residential population on the south side. Ultimately this wooden bridge becoming unsafe it was removed in 1846, and the present elegant, airy, and useful Suspension Bridge was opened in 1853; and in 1871 it was thoroughly renovated and repaired at a cost of about £6,000.

THE VICTORIA BRIDGE, erected at foot of Stockwell, formerly known as the Bishop's Bridge, and still more recently as Stockwell Bridge, is the third bridge that has been built at or near this site. A bridge was erected in 1285, connecting Bridgend, now known as Gorbals, with Fisher-gate, now known as Stockwell. The second bridge was built in 1345, in the reign of King David, son of Robert the Bruce, by Bishop Rae, aided by Lady Lochow, who paid the expense of one of the arches. This bridge did service for nearly 500 years, and was the only one on the Clyde below Bothwell till the erection of the Broomielaw Bridge in 1768. The bridge built by Bishop Rae consisted of eight arches; its width was only twelve feet between the parapets, and its length 415 feet. In 1671 the south arch gave way on 7th July, the day of the Glasgow Fair, no one being injured. It was duly repaired, and the bridge continued the same till 1777. when an addition of ten feet was made to its breadth. In 1821 it was further improved by Thomas Telford, by the addition of a footpath, supported on iron framings, giving to the whole a width of thirty-four feet between the railings. By the deepening of the river the foundations were gradually undermined: an Act to rebuild was obtained in 1845 and, as a preparatory step, a wooden accommodation bridge was erected at a cost of £3,149 5s. 6d. It was opened in 1847 for traffic, when an iron paling was placed across the old stone bridge, which was used for foot passengers only till taken down in 1850. On the 9th April, 1851, the foundation-stone of the present handsome Victoria Bridge was laid by the Duke of Athole, Grand Master of Scotland, with full masonic honours. The bridge was opened for traffic on 1st January, 1854, at a cost of fully £50,000.

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HUTCHESONTOWN BRIDGE. - The present Albert Bridge is the fourth bridge that has been built at this point. The first bridge was built of stone in 1794, the foundation-stone being laid by Gilbert Scott, Esq., Lord Provost. It was all but complete when, early on the 18th November, 1795, during a flood in the river, two of the arches were swept away: in the afternoon the remaining three arches shared the same fate. Thus, in the space of a few hours, the bridge which had occupied nearly a year and a-half in building, was demolished. In 1803 a timber bridge was erected, from a design by Mr. Peter Nicholson. Its outline was one grand sweep of 340 feet, having eight supports and breakwaters. It cost £1,200. This bridge soon proved inadequate for the traffic, and it was replaced by a stone bridge from the design of Mr. Robert Stevenson. On the 18th of August, 1829, its foundation-stone was laid by Robert Dalglish, Esq., Preceptor of Hutchesons' Hospital. It was purchased by the Bridge Trustees in 1845 for £20,000. After it had served its day it was closed on the 20th June, 1868, and taken down. On its site was erected the present graceful yet substantial structure known as the Albert Bridge, the foundation stone being laid on 3rd June, 1870, by the Earl of Dalhousie, Grand Master Mason of Scotland, and it was opened for traffic on 21st June, 1871, and cost about £50,000. Messrs. Bell and Miller were the architects and engineers.

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RUTHERGLEN BRIDGE. - The first bridge was built in 1775 by James Watt. It was a stone structure of five arches, and was of very steep gradient. It connected the estates of Shawfield and Barrowfield. The township of Barrowfield afterwards received the name of Bridgeton. The bridge cost £1,800, of which £1,000 was paid by the burgesses of Rutherglen. Owing to the removal of the weir the scour of the river affected the foundation of the bridge, and as the traffic had increased very much, the narrow "hog-backed" bridge was found inadequate, and it was decided to build a new one, and a service bridge was erected and opened for traffic in April, 1890, when the old bridge was closed and taken down. This new bridge is now being erected. It is to be built of stone, and to span the river in three arches. Its total length will be about 330 feet, with sixty feet width. The designs were prepared by Messrs. Crouch & Hogg, civil engineers.

DALMARNOCK BRIDGE. - This bridge was erected in 1821 on the site of a very ancient ford, known as "Farme Ford." Owing to this ford being often dangerous a timber bridge was erected, which did service till 1848, when another timber bridge took its place. This bridge also gradually fell into decay, and it was decided by the authorities interested, viz.: the Corporation of Glasgow, the counties of Lower and Middle Ward of Lanark, and the Royal Burgh of Rutherglen, to erect a new one. The present handsome bridge was designed and erected under the superintendence of Messrs. Crouch & Hogg, C.E. The foundation-stone was laid by Bailie Cumming on 11th October, 1889, and was opened for traffic on 6th May 1891, at a cost of £30,500.

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The bridge, as erected, is 320 feet long and fifty feet wide; it is divided into five spans of 54 feet 8 inches each, formed of steel girders resting on stone piers and abutments; and the parapets of cast iron. The construction of the foundations of the pier for this bridge were sunk through sixty feet of muddy clay and sand down to the rock by what is known as the "pneumatic" or compressed air system, being the first time that this method of constructing foundations was adopted in the bed of the Clyde, which consists of a great depth of silt.

THE GREAT WESTERN BRIDGE spans the Kelvin on the site of a ford which has existed for centuries. The first bridge built in 1825 was a low level one, which proved at that time of great service in promoting the feuing of the districts east and west of the Kelvin. To still further develop the lands lying to the west, and for better accommodation eastwards, a high level bridge was projected and opened in 1840, the foundation-stone being laid by Sheriff Alison with full masonic honours on 2nd November, 1838. In 1858-50 the Corporation Water Commissioners, doubting the stability of this bridge to carry their main pipes, erected an iron bridge fourteen feet wide, along and contiguous to its north side, and the parapet of the stone bridge being removed, the two surfaces were united into one roadway of forty feet wide. The growth of the district and the increase of traffic compelled the erection of a wider bridge: the old bridges - both high and low level - had to give way to the present handsome new one. It was designed by Messrs. Bell & Miller, and built by Messrs. Morrison & Mason. The foundation-stone was laid by Bailie Thomas Cumming on 9th April, 1890, and opened for traffic 29th September, 1891. The bridge is sixty feet wide, and consists of two large spans of ninety-one feet each, and two small spans - the one on the north side, of thirty-four feet, and the other on the south side of twenty feet. The total cost of this bridge was £45,000.

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The other bridges across the Kelvin do not call for special note. The Belmont Bridge was opened in 1870; the Queen Margaret Bridge in 1870; the foot-bridge at Kirklee in 1886; the bridge at the north gate of Kelvingrove Park in 1853; and the Prince of Wales Bridge in 1868. The iron lattice carriage bridge below the museum was erected in 1881. The new Dumbarton Road Bridge was opened in 1877. The old Kelvinhaugh Road Bridge is to be replaced by a handsome structure by the Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway Company.

The first railway bridge erected across the Clyde within the city was the Union Railway Bridge - the outlet from St. Enoch Station for the Glasgow & Southwestern Railway. It consists of seven spans. The piers are cylindrical cast-iron columns, filled with concrete, and sunk to a depth of ninety feet below high water. Above low water the piers are of ashlar, filled with brickwork. It was opened in 1870, and cost £38,000. The Caledonian Railway Bridge, built immediately west of the Glasgow Bridge, opened for traffic in 1879, consists of five spans, the widest span being 200 feet. The total length of the bridge is 710 feet. The piers below high-water mark are composed of iron cylinders filled with concrete; above low water, they are built of granite, and carry iron lattice girders twenty-one feet high. The builder was Sir William Arrol, since renowned as builder of the Tay and Forth Bridges; also the Tower Bridge, London, opened by the Prince of Wales, 30th June, 1894.