Bridges of the Clyde II
Scott Andrew Bird
March 20, 2006
The lack of sleep/long Sunday walk thing seems to be habit forming. This morning I woke at 6:00, still lying on the couch and confronted with whatever Government-approved childrens' television option is on at that time of day. Switched over to the Malaysian Grand Prix, grabbed a cup of tea and plotted my next journey.
This time I elected to start from the Clydeford Road Bridge (which is only about 20 mins' walk from my house) and follow the Clyde west toward the city. The day promised to be mild, with the constant threat of rain which happily never eventuated. The usual Spring fare.
The Clydeford Road Bridge was constructed to replace the Orion Bridge (also known as the Cambuslang Bridge), which is a few hundred metres west along the Clyde. Between them stands a narrow footbridge; now largely obsolete as the adjacent Orion Bridge can also be used for pedestrian trafic.
Deigned by Glasgow's Crouch and Hogg, the Orion Bridge was built to link the growing Cambuslang with the area of Tollcross. The bridge was bypassed in the late 1970s (although still available to local traffic for some time) - eventually being abandoned. It now stands disused, covered in weeds and linking two shores that no longer house the area's great industry.
I crossed here and followed the Clyde Walkway toward the city. Completed in 2005, the Walkway is a 65km path leading from central Glasgow to the heritage village of New Lanark.
The next Clyde crossing is the somewhat unusually named Bogleshole Road Bridge (unusual as the section of road it contains is now called Cambuslang Road), opened in 1986 to take workers from the Hamilton Farm area (once a glorious country property, now an industrial estate) to Clydesmill (now also an industrial estate).
Neighbouring this bridge is a railway crossing of the river which allows trains to travel directly from Rutherglen to Carmyle.
With no major crossings until Dalmarnock, I shortened the journey slightly by following Bogleshole Road and Cambuslang Road to the area of Farme Cross (another country property turned into a soul-destroying industrial estate). A short distance past Farme Cross stands the elegant Dalmarnock Bridge.
The current Dalmarnock Bridge was constructed in 1891 by engineers Crouch and Hogg. This replaced a timber bridge built in 1847 (which in turn replaced another, built in 1821) and was the first of its type in Glasgow. It was placed so as to connect the growing areas of Rutherglen and Dalmarnock. Originally the deck was constructed using riveted steel plate girders with a wought iron fascia - this was upgraded to more durable and weather resistant steel beams and reinforced concrete in 1997. The original gothic cast iron outer decking was retained for appearance.
Nearby stand the piers of the 1st Dalmarock Railway Bridge. This bridge, constructed by engineer George Graham and co from 1859 - 1861, carried the twin lines of the Dalmarnock Branch across the Clyde. In 1893 a decision was made to widen this bridge - eventually involving the construction of a wider crossing slightly upstream. This 2nd Dalmarnocck Rail Bridge, opened in 1897 and once again constructed by George Graham and co, was subsequently widened to three tracks in 1923.
Once again following the Clyde Walkway I came to the Rutherglen Bridge. As with many crossings of the Clyde, this replaced an earlier bridge; built in 1774-1775, probably by engineer James Watt. The new bridge was another project of the Crouch and Hogg team, and came at a time (1896) when steel was replacing masonry arches. However, they decided against using this new technique.
Continuing my journey toward the town, and shortly after passing the Polmadie Burn I came to the Polmadie Bridge. This is a simple pre-stressed concrete structure, built in 1955, replacing a timber bridge which was constructed in 1901 (unfortunately the timber construction burnt down).
Now entering the upper area of Glasgow Green (the 'high green') I came to the final bridge for this journey - the superb King's Bridge. Opened in 1933 and constructed under the watchful eyes of TPM Somers, it has four equal spans each comprising riveted steel plate girders and a reinforced concrete deck. This is a wonderful end to today's journey - the next crossing is the St Andrew's Suspension Bridge, which is where the first expedition ended.
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