Aberdeen at Night 1

Well this morning was wet and this afternoon I attended a meeting at Shell (no I am not back at Work yet!), thanks for your support today Tony! So no picture in daylight, and tonight more rain.

So why not try an evening shot (a first) and in the rain of the Wellington Suspension Bridge.

This is an A-listed suspension bridge, which crosses the River Dee between Ferryhill and Torry, just upstream of the Queen Elizabeth Bridge and a mile (1.3 km) south of Aberdeen city centre. The Wellington Suspension Bridge (known locally as the Chain Brig) was only the second bridge to cross the River Dee at Aberdeen, built 1829-31 at a cost of £10,000 to replace the Craiglug ferry.

It was designed by Captain Samuel Brown R.N. (1776 - 1852). The main span is 66.2m (217 feet) and it carries a deck which, at 7.6m (25 feet) in width, would be regarded as narrow by modern standards. The deck is suspended from two pairs of wrought-iron bar-link chains, hung from granite arched towers, which were the work of John Smith (1781 - 1852), the Aberdeen City Architect, assisted by a young James Abernethy (1814-96). The arches were modified in 1886 and the bridge refurbished in 1930.

It was closed to vehicular traffic in 1984, relief having been provided by the new Queen Elizabeth Bridge, which opened the previous year. In 2002, it was closed to pedestrians following concerns over its safety, permitting Aberdeen City Council to strengthen and preserve the structure.

However, after Aberdeen City Council engineers undertook further work to preserve and strengthen the bridge, it resumed use as a pedestrian walkway and cycle lane in 2008. The main chains were still retained and the work was carried out in four phases.

The first step comprised repairing welding of the main chains and saddle chain replacement. The next stage involved renewing the timber decking and structural re-painting. Phase three concentrated on the granite towers and included re-pointing and cleaning; the final stage was to provide architectural lighting. Total costs were estimated at £760,000 but were expected to preserve the bridge for another century.
Aberdeen City councilors were informed in October 2007 that the cost for the first three phases had increased to £995,000 and the estimate for the final stage would be £100,000.

From 1979 until 2010 it was listed as a Scheduled monument; from 2010, it was included on the list of Category A listed structures.

The Wellington Bridge is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and is listed owing to its architectural and historical importance as Scotland's second oldest vehicle suspension bridge that remains intact. The oldest is the Union Suspension Bridge in the Scottish Borders, also designed by Brown.