The Albert Bridge is a road bridge that spans the

River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland, near

Glasgow Green Glasgow Green is a park in the east end of Glasgow, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde. Established in the 15th century, it is the oldest park in the city. It connects to the south via the St Andrew's Suspension Bridge. History In ...

. The bridge opened in 1871. It links the

Saltmarket The Saltmarket is a thoroughfare in the City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is a southward continuation of the High Street, running south from Glasgow Cross to the junction with Clyde Street and Crown Street by the River Clyde. It runs past the High Co ...

in the city centre with Crown Street on the city’s south side. It is

category A listed This is a list of Category A listed buildings in Scotland, which are among the listed buildings of the United Kingdom. For a fuller list, see the pages linked on List of listed buildings in Scotland. Key The organization of the lists in th ...

, and named after

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

's consort, Prince Albert.

Previous bridges

Albert Bridge is the fifth bridge to be built on the site in Glasgow. The first, built in 1794 and destroyed by flooding in 1795, was known as Hutcheson Bridge. The second, built in 1803, was a timber footbridge. The third, replacing the second in 1834, was a masonry arch bridge, designed by

Robert Stevenson Robert Stevenson may refer to: * Robert Stevenson (actor and politician) (1915–1975), American actor and politician * Robert Stevenson (civil engineer) (1772–1850), Scottish lighthouse engineer * Robert Stevenson (director) (1905–1986), Engl ...

(grandfather to the author

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...

). Stevenson’s bridge was demolished in 1868, and replaced with the fourth, a temporary wooden bridge. In 1871, that one in turn was replaced by the fifth: the Albert Bridge, which still stands today.

Construction

Construction of the Albert Bridge was managed by a group of trustees, who examined the condition of the previous bridge and decided it should be completely removed, and replaced with one that would be more elegant and convenient. They initially agreed on a budget of £39,000, and engaged the Glasgow firm of Bell & Miller Engineers to design the bridge. However, the design Bell & Miller came up with turned out to be too costly to build: When the trustees solicited bids from builders, the lowest they received was £54,000. So they asked Bell & Miller to revise their design. After some of the design’s structural features were changed, they received a bid of £48,000 from the builders

Hanna, Donald & Wilson Hanna, Donald and Wilson were a Scottish engineering and shipbuilding firm which flourished in the Victorian era. Reid & Hanna The general engineering firm of Reid & Hanna was founded in 1816 in Paisley, Scotland. Paisley had become an impo ...

of Paisley, Scotland, which they accepted. Albert Bridge is founded on concrete piers and abutments, filled with cast iron caissons, that are sunk about 86 ft below water level. The designers rejected traditional masonry was rejected in favour of rivetted wrought iron elliptical arches. The largest of the arches spans 114 ft. The arch ribs are masked by cast iron spandrels adorned with the Royal coat of arms, the coat of arms of Prince Albert and the coats of arms of various corporate bodies. The stone pillars that support the parapet are decorated with medallions depicting Queen Victoria and Prince Albert that were made by the Scottish sculptor

George Edwin Ewing George Edwin Ewing (8 July 1828 – 26 April 1884) was a Scottish sculptor. He was born in Birmingham, the son of sculptor James Ewing and the brother of sculptor James Alexander Ewing. He grew up in Edinburgh and Glasgow and learned his trade i ...

. The bridge carries a two-way, two-lane highway (the eastern branch of the A8 Highway) across the River Clyde. It is supplemented by the

Victoria Bridge Victoria Bridge may be a reference to: Bridges ;Australia * Victoria Bridge, Brisbane, a road bridge across the Brisbane River in Brisbane * Victoria Bridge, Devonport a road ridge across the Mersey River in Devonport, Tasmania * Victoria Bridge, M ...

, which is on the other side of the nearby railway bridge , and carries a one-way road, northbound, across the river. A £3.4 million refurbishment programme was launched in 2015, and given Royal recognition by a visit from the

Earl of Wessex Earl of Wessex is a title that has been created twice in British history – once in the pre-Conquest Anglo-Saxon nobility of England, and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. In the 6th century AD the region of Wessex (the lands of the We ...

on 13 October 2016.

References

Notes

{{coord, 55.8526, -4.2473, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Bridges completed in 1871 Bridges in Glasgow Bridges across the River Clyde Category A listed buildings in Glasgow Gorbals Glasgow Green 1871 establishments in Scotland