The Royal Albert Bridge (sometimes called the Brunel Bridge or Saltash Bridge) spans the River Tamar in the U.K. between Plymouth, on the Devon bank, and Saltash on the Cornish bank. The Tamar is a River in south western England, that forms most of the border between Devon (to the east and Cornwall (to the west The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Plymouth ( is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England about south west of London. Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name Saltash (Essa is a town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar It carries the Cornish Main Line in and out of Cornwall. The Cornish Main Line is a Railway line in the United Kingdom, which forms the backbone for rail services in Cornwall, as well as providing a direct
A short distance to the north of Brunel's bridge, the Tamar is crossed by the Tamar Bridge carrying the A38, one of the two trunk roads connecting Cornwall to Devon. The Tamar Bridge is a major Road Bridge in southwest England carrying traffic between Devon and Cornwall. The A38 is a major Trunk road in England. Though formally known as the Exeter - Leeds Trunk Road it actually runs from Bodmin in Cornwall A trunk road, trunk highway, or strategic road is a major Road &mdashusually connecting two or more cities, Ports Airports
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Construction
The bridge was designed in 1855 by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Cornwall Railway Company after Parliament rejected his original plan for a train ferry across the Hamoaze. The Brunel Museum is a museum in the Brunel Engine House, Rotherhithe, South East London. Rotherhithe is a district of central south-east London in the London Borough of Southwark. Saltash (Essa is a town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Year 1855 ( MDCCCLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS (9 April 1806 &ndash 15 September 1859 (ˈɪzəmbɑrd ˈkɪŋdəm brʊˈnɛl was a British Engineer. The Cornwall Railway was a Broad gauge (7 feet 025 inch railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth in Cornwall, United The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories See also Merchant ship A ferry is a form of transport usually a Boat or Ship, used to carry (or ferry) passengers and The Hamoaze (ˈhɒmøz in Cornish) is an estuarine stretch of Water at the point where the tidal River Tamar, the River Tavy, The bridge consists of two main spans of 455 feet (139 m), 100 feet (30 m) above mean high spring tide, plus seventeen much shorter approach spans. Opened by Prince Albert on 2 May 1859, it was completed in the year of the great engineer's death. Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. Year 1859 ( MDCCCLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common
The structure was the third in a series of three notable wrought iron bridges built in the period, and was influenced by the preceding two, both by Robert Stephenson. QtubIronPillarJPG|thumb|right| Iron pillar at Delhi India containing 98% wrought iron]] Wrought iron is commercially pure Iron. Robert Stephenson FRS (16 October 1803 &ndash 12 October 1859 was an English Civil engineer. The two central sections of the bridge are novel adaptations of the design employed for the High Level Bridge across the River Tyne in Newcastle Upon Tyne. The High Level Bridge is a road and railway Bridge spanning the River Tyne between Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead in North East The River Tyne is a River in England. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers the North Tyne and the South Tyne. Newcastle upon Tyne ( (often shortened to Newcastle) is a city and Metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, England These two spans are lenticular trusses with the top chord of each truss comprising a heavy tubular arch in compression, while the bottom chord comprises a pair of catenary shaped members. In Geometry, a lens is a Convex Shape comprising two circular arcs joined at their endpoints Each of the trusses is simply supported and therefore no horizontal thrust is exerted on the piers. Between these two chords are supporting cross bracing members and suspension members which trail beneath the bottom chord to carry the railway deck which is a continuous plate beam.
The method of construction was similar to the Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait in north Wales, in that the spans were constructed on land, then floated into position and raised. Britannia Bridge ( Welsh: Pont Britannia) is a bridge across the Menai Strait between the island of Anglesey and the mainland The Menai Strait ( Afon Menai, the "River Menai" is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about 14 miles (23 km long which separates the island of Anglesey Unlike the Britannia, however, the central piers were built up in height three feet (1 m) at a time, and the spans raised that distance, until the design height was achieved. (For the Britannia, the piers were built to full height, and then the span hoisted to design height. ) The difficulty of its construction rates it as one of Brunel's great railway achievements.
Inscription
The words I. K. BRUNEL, ENGINEER, 1859 appear in large type on either end of the bridge, added as a tribute after his death. In 1921, new access platforms were added that obscured the lettering. In 2006, Network Rail relocated the platforms, allowing the name to be seen again. Network Rail is a British "not for dividend" Company limited by guarantee whose principal asset is Network Rail Infrastructure Limited a company limited
Mentions in popular culture
John Betjeman wrote in the Sunday Times "The Book of the Great Western" (1970):
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- The general grey slate and back gardens of Plymouth, as seen from the Great Western made the surprise of Saltash Bridge all the more exciting. Sir John Betjeman, CBE ( 28 August 1906 &ndash 19 May 1984 was an English poet writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who Up and down stream, grey battleships were moored in the Tamar and its reaches. Hundreds of feet below, the pathetic steam ferry to Saltash from the Devon bank tried to compete with Brunel's mighty bridge.
The Royal Albert Bridge is crossed and marveled at by major characters in the alternate history novel, Stars & Stripes Forever, by Harry Harrison. For the radio personality see Harry Harrison (radio. Harry Harrison (born Henry Maxwell Dempsey, March 12 1925 It is referred to as "The Amazing Bridge Across the Tamar River " and is pictured in an accurate woodcut-style drawing by Angela Tomlinson. Details of its design and construction are briefly discussed.
The bridge is depicted in several paintings by mariner and painter Alfred Wallis. Alfred Wallis ( 18 August 1855 &ndash 29 August 1942) was a Cornish Fisherman and artist.
It is mentioned in the Show of Hands song "Cousin Jack". Show of Hands is an English acoustic roots and folk duo comprising Singer-songwriter Steve Knightley and Multi-instrumentalist
References
- Binding, John (1997). Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge: A Study of the Design and Construction of his 'Gateway to Cornwall' at Saltash. Truro: Twelveheads Press. ISBN 0-906294-39-8.
- Charles Matthew Norrie (1956). Bridging the Years - a short history of British Civil Engineering. Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd.
- [Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge unveiled in all its splendour] Network Rail press release
External links
- The Royal Albert Bridge website
- Brunel 200 - The Royal Albert Bridge
- Royal Albert Bridge in the Structurae database
- The Brunel Museum - Based in Rotherhithe, London the museum is housed in the building that contained the pumps to keep the Thames Tunnel dry. Structurae is an online Database containing works of structural and Civil engineering of all kinds such as Bridges High-rise buildings
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