Arco Felice
A two-thousand-year old Happy Arch.
Blog posts about bridge
Arco Felice
Laufenburg am Rhein
The picturesque and history-rich town of Laufenburg straddles the river Rhine: one half being in Switzerland, the other in Germany.
Untertorbrücke, Bern
The Untertorbrücke is one of the oldest bridges in Bern, crossing the river Aare. The first bridge was built of wood on this site and opened in 1256, and was replaced in 1489 by a more substantial, fortified stone version. It was Bern’s only bridge until 1834 and has stood in its current form since the 18th century, when the fortifications…
Parcours on the Altenbergsteg bridge in Bern
Être Fort (“Be Strong”) parcours athlete Simon Gfeller crosses the Altenbergsteg bridge in Bern the hard way: by hand, across the underside of the iron framework.
Sad attempt at romance
Compare and contrast the trends on the Pont des Arts bridge in Paris. The first of these photos was taken in 1996 or 1997 and the second was taken last weekend. These days, the lattices (and some of the old-fashioned street lights) along both sides of the bridge are covered completely in personalized padlocks, attached to the bridge by couples…
The Severn Crossings
The first crossing for the M4 motorway across the River Severn was opened in 1966. This bridge features heavily in my memories of travelling to Pembrokeshire as a child, as well as later visits to friends at university in Cardiff. Back then, I didn’t know the extent of the history of river crossings here. Until the bridge…
London bridge trivia
In the British Parliament building, the Palace of Westminster, there are two parliamentary houses. The House of Commons is in the northern part of the building, in which ministers sit on green leather benches. In the southern part of the building is the House of Lords; here, incumbents sit on red leather benches. Spanning the river Thames, which flows past…
Ponte Vecchio, Florence
This medieval bridge in Florence, rebuilt in 1345, is the only one remaining which is lined on both sides by shops. Originally hosting butcher shops, the bridge has been populated by jewellers and goldsmiths since the late sixteenth century. The bridge is the only one in Florence to have survived the Second World War: on the specific instructions of Hitler,…
High Bridge, Leuk
The inevitably named High Bridge near Leuk in the upper reaches of canton Wallis in Switzerland; so named because of the depth of the gorge beneath it.
Schwellenmätteli, Bern
The Schwellenmätteli is a restaurant built on the banks of the Aare river, beneath the Kirchenfeld bridge and the old city of Bern.
Stock Ghyll Beck, Cumbria
One of the many hundreds of gems which lie in folders in my cupboard; one of the thousands of frames taken over the years with traditional film cameras.
Ponte Vecchio
A gem from the couple of hundred 35mm frames I've scanned today: the Ponte Vecchio bridge in Florence, Italy.
Lorraine Bridge, Bern, Switzerland
A wintry view of the Lorraine Bridge, near the main train station in Bern, Switzerland.
Kirchenfeldbrücke, Bern, Switzerland
First opened in September 1883 after a 21 month building phase, the metal bridge spanned the gorge between the upper end of the original old city of Bern at the Casino and the area of Kirchenfeld to the south. The 41 metre high bridge was built along with 5 kilometres of city roadways by the English “Bern Land Company”, according…
Dalguise Viaduct
This grade A listed railway viaduct, just north of Dunkeld near the A9 main road between Perth and Inverness, was designed by Joseph Mitchell to carry the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway across the River Tay and opened on 9 September 1863 at a cost of £20,395; it remains in use. It is of lattice girder type with stone piers…
Tay Bridge and west Dundee from The Law
During a violent storm on the evening of 28 December 1879, the centre section of the first Tay Bridge, known as the “High Girders”, collapsed, taking with it a train that was running on its single track. Seventy-five lives were lost, including the son-in-law of design engineer Sir Thomas Bouch. The total number was only established by a meticulous examination…
Devil’s Bridge
According to legend, the first “Devil’s Bridge” was established by the devil himself. The locals of canton Uri, where the bridge stands, were always unsuccessful in their attempts to establish a bridge across the deep gorge. Finally a chief official called out desperately: “Do sell der Tyfel e Brigg bue” (“Let the Devil build a bridge here“) and proposed a pact,…