Marlow Bridge, a suspension bridge crossing the Thames between Marlow in Buckinghamshire and Bisham in Berkshire, designed by William Tierney Clark (1783-1852). 1829-32. This road and foot bridge would not be able to handle the volume of traffic now using the nearby Marlow bypass. But it is of special interest because it served as a prototype for the first permanent bridge linking Buda and Pest in Hungary, and the link between the two is commemorated on a plaque there. Clark is still highly regarded in Hungary, as is his heroic site engineer Adam Clark (1811-66, no relation).
The solid Marlow by-pass bridge of 1972, with its cantilever structure, makes a big contrast with the earlier one.
Note: the Scottish engineer Adam Clark, who married and settled in Hungary, is considered a hero in Budapest because he twice managed to persuade the military to spare the bridge there during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. He did important work on regulating the Danube, and his commission for work on the docks at Pest was reported in the Times in 1851. He was also put in charge of constructing the tunnel under Buda Castle, close to the Chain Bridge. The two engineering feats are connected by Clark Adam Square (Clark Adám tér).
Photographs and commentary by Colin Price. Note and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee. [You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or to the Victorian Web in a print document. Click on the images to enlarge them.]
Sources
"Austria." The Times. 1 February 1851: 6. Times Digital Archive. Web. 14 March 2016.
"Nine Foreigners Who Became Heroes in Hungary." welovebudapest.com. Web. 14 March 2016.
Created 14 March 2016