Here are some facts about the Forth Bridge.
- The Forth Bridge is a railway bridge spanning the Firth of Forth in Scotland. It is located less than ten miles from the city of Edinburgh.
- It is a cantilever bridge and was opened on 4th March 1890.
- The bridge was designed by Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker.
- Construction of the bridge began in 1882 and was completed in 1890.
- One end of the Forth Bridge is in the village of South Queensferry and the other is in North Queensferry.
- When it was opened, it was the longest single cantilever span in the world.
- The Forth Bridge is more than 2400 metres in length, and has a height of 110 metres above the high water mark.
- The bridge is sometimes called the Forth Rail Bridge.
- The bridge was one of the first massive structures in the UK to be made of steel.
- At some points during the bridge’s construction, more than 4500 men were working on the structure.
- More than 70 people died working on the project. The Forth Bridge Memorial was erected to honour those who had lost their lives.
- During World War 2 a German air attack took place over the Forth Bridge. It became known as the the Forth Bridge Raid, but the bridge wasn’t the target, and it was never damaged during the war.
- In 2015, the Forth Bridge was declared a World Heritage Site.
- More than 180 trains cross the bridge every day.
- The image of the Forth Bridge appeared on £1 coins issued in 2004.
- The bridge, an iconic Scottish landmark, has appeared in several movies and TV shows, including The 39 Steps, directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
- The phrase ‘like painting the Forth Bridge’ is used to describe a seemingly endless task.
- More than 6 million rivets were used in the original construction of the bridge.
