Celebrating the Forth Bridge at the National Library of Scotland

I have a certain fondness for the Forth Bridge but also a bit of a special relationship with it as one of my ancestors was one of the reported 57 workers killed during the building of it, and is named on the monument in South Queensferry.

There is now a new exhibition at the National Library of Scotland which celebrates the construction, the engineering feat and the beauty of something which has now been in place (and in use) for 125 years.

The exhibition  ‘The Forth Bridge: Building an Icon’ is designed to show you the skill and the sacrifice which went into the building of the rail bridge runs until 21 June 2015.

Back in the nineteenth century original plans considered included a tunnel, but the eventual decision to build the fabulous Forth Bridge required 50,000 tons of steel to carry trains over the Forth to Fife and beyond. The engineers behind the structure Baker and Fowler were engaged in the design of a bridge hot on the heels of the Tay Bridge Disaster, so safety was paramount in the design and building process. Network Rail have a most informative page on the Bridge here.

If you would like to know what is on at the National Library of Scotland over the next two months then click here. 

The display in the George IV Bridge Building is open daily:

Monday to Friday: 10.00-20.00
Saturday: 10.00-17.00
Sunday: 14.00-17.00