Bridges

From the famous bascules of Tower Bridge and the august span at Westminster, through the engineering masterpieces at Ironbridge and the Forth, bridges are some of the most iconic landmarks of Britain. From the smallest arch to the largest overpass, they have a rich architectural, economic, social and sometimes even religious history. This beautifully illustrated introduction by Richard Hayman explains how piety built and maintained bridges in the Middle Ages; how economic forces inspired a new generation of road bridges in the eighteenth century, including Iron Bridge in Shropshire and the Menai Bridge in North Wales; and how technological prowess gave us the soaring railway viaducts of the nineteenth century and road bridges of the twentieth.