Weekend Reflections - Queens Bridge, Blefast

This week it is the turn of the Queens Bridge in Belfast, Northern Ireland.  It is one of eight bridges in the city, not to be confused with the adjacent Queen Elizabeth II Bridge that I showed you last week.

It was officially opened in 1849 by Queen Victoria replacing the Long Bridge. Many versions of the Long Bridge were destroyed during the eighteenth century and nineteenth century, and a more permanent structure had become necessary.

Several versions of the Long Bridge had linked the town of Belfast, on the County Antrim side of lough and river, with County Down and the quays on that side.

One version of the Long Bridge had been destroyed by Williamite troops passing over it.  The weight of the cannons being hauled over it proved too much for the bridge.

The Long Bridge had also been a favourite spot for promenading citizens, as Edward Willes reported in 1759:

'The bridge over which we pass into the town is the longest in his majesty's dominions. It is built over an arm of the sea and a lough, which is great part of it dry at low water; they say it is a mile long, but it is really I believe three-quarters of an English mile. This bridge is the mall where all the company of Belfast take the air in a summer's evening.'

When Victoria opened the Queen's Bridge, times had changed and the bridge had become a vital link between the old town and its quays and Ballymacarrett, on the County Down side, which was already well on its way to becoming the industrial heartland of the city.

Belfast was to be home to the world's biggest ropeworks, shipyard, aerated water manufacturer and manufacturer of tea-drying machinery among other things.

The linen mills, shipyards, engineering works, foundries and factories all needed labour and their workers poured over the bridge twice a day.

Many Harland and Wolff shipyard workers would cross the Queen’s Bridge each day, making their way to and from the yards, where Titanic was being built.  At one time there were over 20.000 men worked at the shipyards.  Nowadays  there are considerable fewer but the shipyard recently won the bid to bring a 360' rig in for refurbishing.  Belfast still have the largest cranes in the world as well as the largest dock in the world.

I am linking this post to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS

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