Saturday 26 April 2014

Weekend Reflections - Albert Bridge, Belfast

The Albert Bridge is a bridge in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Its three flat arches span the River Lagan and it is one of eight bridges in the city. It was completed in 1890 after two arches of the previous bridge suddenly collapsed in 1886. It is located close to the city centre between East Bridge Street and the Albert Bridge Road.


In 1886, two arches of the original five span masonry bridge on the site collapsed, causing a single fatality.  A temporary wooden bridge was erected until the present day when the bridge was built. The present bridge was designed by Mr J. C. Bretland, the Borough Surveyor of Belfast at the time, and was constructed by Messrs Henry of Belfast on behalf of Belfast Corporation, at a cost of £36,500. All of the cast iron including the decorative lampposts were made in Derby by Andrew Handyside & Co. It was opened in 1890 and named after Queen Victoria's grandson, Prince Albert Victor, who laid a foundation stone in 1889.


In 1998 the first phase of work on the bridge was carried out by Roads Service, involving replacing, strengthening and waterproofing the concrete bridge deck. The second phase replaced corroded wrought iron structural members supporting the bridge deck with new structural steel members.  The final phase, in autumn 2001, involved the removal of existing paint and rust and application of a new paint system for corrosion protection, which should ensure no repainting will be needed for the next 15 years. Floodlighting was also being installed.  Total cost of restoration was about £1 million.


The original drawings and sketches of the bridge from 1888 had been passed to Roads Service from Belfast Corporation at the time of Local Government re-organisation in 1973.  The drawings were used for information on the works connected with the bridge and passed to the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland in 2001


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27 comments:

  1. what a beautiful reflection of the bridge... quite the costly price jump from building the bridge to restoring it though... even though it's a beautiful structure. have a great day~

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  2. Magnificent piece of urban architecture... And the color of the bridge is so precious...

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  3. Very majestic, very beautiful. Perfect reflection.

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  4. What a gorgeous place and so beautiful reflection on the water !
    Greetings, Ela

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  5. Beautiful bridge.
    It is important that this historic bridge.
    Fantastic looking reflections in the water!
    Greetings.
    Have a nice weekend.

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  6. Superb shot of the bridge with nice reflection.

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  7. It's absolutely beautiful and I'd never seen it before so thank you.

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  8. Lovely photos- I love the reflection in the water :-)

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  9. A stunning reflection. Love the colour. Thank you.

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  10. What a beautiful bridge - a work of art! Lovely reflections, too. xo karen

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  11. I love this beautiful photo, wonderful reflections of this beautiful bridge! Gorgeous!

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  12. I really enjoyed visiting Belfast! Time for another visit...

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    1. HI Jackie Glad you have visited Belfast before. I see you were born in Dublin. I must say you had a wonderful surname! Many thanks for the comment.

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  13. This is really a beautiful bridge, with so much intricate design and handiwork. Your pictures are gorgeous, especially the reflections of the glorious spans in the water.

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  14. Really lovely reflections.
    Greetings from Finland.

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  15. An amazing reflection! Thats a gorgeous bridge!

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  16. This is an amazing bridge ... I love the texture in the reflection. I would say it is well worth restoring ... so glad the Roads Service saw it that way. Love this, Margaret ...

    Andrea @ From The Sol

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  17. Stunning reflection of a beautiful bridge

    Mollyxxx

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  18. Thanks for sharing the information about the history of this beautiful bridge. Your photos are wonderful. I hope you have a great weekend.

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  19. Gorgeous bridge, Margaret... I love bridges and one of my favorites is found near our home here at the Cumberland Mtn. State Park...

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  20. You have done a lovely job capturing those reflections and what a beautiful bridge that is. enjoyed the history too.

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  21. It is a beautiful and elegant structure. Thanks for the great pics and interesting backstory.

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  22. That is a beautiful bridge. Terrific captures!

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  23. the pattern and color of the beautiful bridge really create interesting reflections. :)

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