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The Forth Bridge (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
    

The Forth Bridge

The Forth Bridge

This railway bridge, spanning the estuary of the Forth River in Scotland, was the world’s earliest great multispan cantilever bridge, and at 2,529 m remains one of the longest. It opened in 1890 and continues to carry passengers and freight. Its distinctive industrial aesthetic is the result of a forthright and unadorned display of its structural components. Innovative in style, materials and scale, the Forth Bridge is an important milestone in bridge design and construction during the period when railways came to dominate long-distance land travel.

Le pont du Forth

Ce pont ferroviaire enjambant l’estuaire du fleuve Forth, en Ecosse, est le plus long pont cantilever à travées multiples du monde. Ouvert en 1890, il est aujourd’hui encore en activité pour le transport de passagers et de marchandises. Son esthétique industrielle caractéristique résulte de la présentation franche et dépouillée de ses éléments structurels. Le pont du Forth, novateur dans son style, ses matériaux et son envergure, marque un jalon important dans la conception et la construction des ponts durant une période où les lignes de chemins de fer se sont imposées dans les voyages longue distance par voie terrestre.

De Forth brug

Deze spoorbrug over de monding van de Forth rivier in Schotland is de langste cantileverbrug met meerdere steunpunten ter wereld. De brug opende in 1890 en is nog steeds operationeel. De brug heeft een bijzonder industrieel voorkomen door de zichtbaarheid van de afzonderlijke onderdelen van de structuur. De brug is innovatief in stijl, materiaal en schaal. Daardoor is de brug een belangrijke mijlpaal in het ontwerp en de bouw van bruggen in de tijd waarin de spoorwegen het vervoer over land voor lange afstanden begonnen te domineren.

Source: unesco.nl

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Forth Bridge from South Queensferry © Historic Scotland
Outstanding Universal Value

Brief synthesis

The Forth Bridge, which spans the estuary (Firth) of the River Forth in eastern Scotland to link Fife to Edinburgh by railway, was the world’s earliest great multispan cantilever bridge, and at 2,529 m remains one of the longest. It opened in 1890 and continues to operate as an important passenger and freight rail bridge. This enormous structure, with its distinctive industrial aesthetic and striking red colour, was conceived and built using advanced civil engineering design principles and construction methods. Innovative in design, materials, and scale, the Forth Bridge is an extraordinary and impressive milestone in bridge design and construction during the period when railways came to dominate long-distance land travel.

This large-scale engineering work’s appearance is the result of a forthright, unadorned display of its structural elements. It is comprised of about 54,000 tons of mild steel plate rolled and riveted into 4m diameter tubes used in compression, and lighter steel spans used in tension. The use of mild steel, a relatively new material in the 1880s, on such a large-scale project was innovative, and helped to bolster its reputation. The superstructure of the bridge takes the form of three double-cantilever towers rising 110 m above their granite pier foundations, with cantilever arms to each side. The cantilever arms each project 207 m from the towers and are linked together by two suspended spans, each 107 m long. The resulting 521-m spans formed by the three towers were individually the longest in the world for 28 years, and remain collectively the longest in a multi-span cantilever bridge. The Forth Bridge is the culmination of its typology, scarcely repeated but widely admired as an engineering wonder of the world.

Criterion (i): The Forth Bridge is a masterpiece of creative genius because of its distinctive industrial aesthetic, which is the result of a forthright, unadorned display of its massive, functional structural elements.

Criterion (iv): The Forth Bridge is an extraordinary and impressive milestone in the evolution of bridge design and construction during the period when railways came to dominate long-distance land travel, innovative in its concept, its use of mild steel, and its enormous scale.

Integrity

The property contains all the elements necessary to express the Outstanding Universal Value of The Forth Bridge, including granite piers and steel superstructure. The 7.5-ha property is of adequate size to ensure the complete representation of the features and processes that convey the property’s significance, and it does not suffer from adverse effects of development or neglect.

Authenticity

The Forth Bridge is fully authentic in form and design, which are virtually unaltered; materials and substance, which have undergone only minimal changes; and use and function, which have continued as originally intended. The links between the Outstanding Universal Value of the bridge and its attributes are therefore truthfully expressed, and the attributes fully convey the value of the property.

Protection and management requirements

The Forth Bridge is listed at Category ‘A’ as a building of special architectural or historic interest, giving the property the highest level of statutory protection. Its immediate surroundings are also protected by means of a suite of cultural and natural heritage designations. Owned by Network Rail Limited, the property will be managed in accordance with a Property Management Plan by the bodies that have a statutory planning function. The Forth Bridges Forum partnership has been established to ensure that local stakeholders’ interests remain at the core of the management of the Forth bridges.

Specific long-term expectations related to key issues include maintenance of strong community support, broadening understanding in the context of world bridges, attention to developments within key views, risk management, and inspiring others.

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