Kelvinbridge is the common name of the Great Western Bridge, a

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

road and pedestrian bridge located in the West End of the city of

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 Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, built to carry the Great Western Road (A82) at a high level across the

River Kelvin The River Kelvin (Scottish Gaelic: ''Abhainn Cheilbhinn'') is a tributary of the River Clyde in northern and northeastern Glasgow, Scotland. It rises on the moor south east of the village of Banton, east of Kilsyth. At almost long, it init ...

. Completed in 1891 by Bell & Miller, it replaced an older stone bridge (completed 1840), and has a similar design to the

Partick Partick ( sco, Pairtick, Scottish Gaelic: ''Partaig'') is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. To the west lies Whiteinch, to the east Yorkhill and Kelvingrove Park (across the River Kelvin), and to t ...

Bridge crossing the same river, located a short distance to the south-west. It has been a Category A

listed structure In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

since 1986.Glasgow, Great Western Road, Great Western Bridge
Canmore In the early 19th century, the first Great Western Bridge (1825) provided a crossing point across the boundary of the city and into the neighbouring burgh of

Hillhead Hillhead ( sco, Hullheid, gd, Ceann a' Chnuic) is an area of Glasgow, Scotland. Situated north of Kelvingrove Park and to the south of the River Kelvin, Hillhead is at the heart of Glasgow's fashionable West End, with Byres Road forming th ...

, which was incorporated into the city later. It was at a low level, whereas the second, larger bridge was built over a high span. The river lends its name to adjacent places at several points along its course (

Kelvindale Kelvindale ( gd, Dail Chealbhainn) is a district in the West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Kelvindale shares the G12 postcode with the neighbouring residential districts of Kelvinside, Hillhead, Hyndland, Dowanhill, as well as Gartnave ...

Kelvingrove Park Kelvingrove Park is a public park located on the River Kelvin in the West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland, containing the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. History Kelvingrove Park was originally created as the West End Park in 1852, and ...

, Kelvinhaugh and

Kelvinside Kelvinside is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde and is bounded by Broomhill, Dowanhill and Hyndland to the south with Kelvindale and the River Kelvin to the north. It is an affluent area of Gl ...

for example) and so there are several 'Kelvin Bridges', including one several miles away in Torrance. Adjacent to the bridge is

Kelvinbridge subway station Kelvinbridge subway station is a Glasgow Subway station serving the Woodlands, Woodside and Hillhead areas of Glasgow, Scotland. It is named after the bridge crossing the River Kelvin, next to the station. This station is one of the two serving K ...

on the

Glasgow Subway The Glasgow Subway is an underground light metro system in Glasgow, Scotland. Opened on 14 December 1896, it is the fourth-oldest underground rail transit system in Europe after the London Underground, Liverpool's Mersey Railway and the Budapes ...

- one of the deepest on the circuit due to the proximity of the river - on the south east-side of the bridge. This was also the location of

Kelvinbridge railway station Kelvinbridge was a railway station for the Kelvinbridge area in the West End of Glasgow, close to Kelvinbridge subway station on the Glasgow Subway. Chronology This station was opened on 10 August 1896. It served as the mainline station for ...

on the

Glasgow Central Railway The Glasgow Central Railway was a railway line built in Glasgow, Scotland by the Caledonian Railway, running in tunnel east to west through the city centre. It was opened in stages from 1894 and opened up new journey opportunities for passengers ...

. Due to these other uses, the name Kelvinbridge is also used to refer to the residential areas in the vicinity of the bridge, encompassing parts of the neighbourhoods of Woodside,

Woodlands Woodlands may back refer to: * Woodland, a low-density forest Geography Australia * Woodlands, New South Wales * Woodlands, Ashgrove, Queensland, a heritage-listed house associated with John Henry Pepper * Woodlands, Marburg, Queensland, a her ...

and Hillhead. The

Glasgow Academy The Glasgow Academy is a coeducational independent day school for pupils aged 3–18 in Glasgow, Scotland. In 2016, it had the third-best Higher level exam results in Scotland. Founded in 1845, it is the oldest continuously fully independent ...

private school is nearby on the Hillhead side of the valley, with Lansdowne Church (1863) - featuring a spire which at is among the tallest structures in the city - on the opposite bank. Due to the proximity of the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

, the Kelvinbridge locality accommodates many students. In 2019, the area was included in a list of the 50 "coolest neighbourhoods in the world" by

Time Out magazine ''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 328 cities in 58 countries worldwide. In 2012, the London edition becam ...

.The 50 coolest neighbourhoods in the world
Time Out, 17 September 2019

References

External links

*
Guide to Kelvinbridge and East Hillhead
at ''Pat's Guide to Glasgow West End'' {{Areas of Glasgow Transport in Glasgow Category A listed buildings in Glasgow Listed bridges in Scotland Road bridges in Scotland Areas of Glasgow Hillhead Bridges completed in 1891 Bridges in Glasgow 1891 establishments in Scotland