Six archive snapshots from the history of bridges

From iconic spans in some of the world’s greatest cities to Victorian plans for crossing the Channel, the history of bridges has been captured in the publication since its earliest days. Naturally, The Engineer has also had a responsibility to report on bridging failures, and these too have achieved prominence in the archive over the decades. And it is, unfortunately, with an infamous bridge disaster that we begin our journey.

The collapse of the Tay Bridge in late December 1879 occurred as a train was crossing in the midst of a violent storm. Sir Thomas Bauch, the engineer behind the bridge, is believed to have omitted any leeway for wind loading in its design. Gusts on the night are thought to have reached around 80mph, ultimately causing the cast iron structure to fail. Up to 75 people are estimated to have lost their lives though only 46 bodies were recovered. Bauch died within a year of the tragedy and his proposed design for the Forth Bridge was consigned forever to the drawing board.