Shaw's Bridge

More childhood memories!
Shaw’s Bridge has long been an iconic symbol for South Belfast and the Lagan Valley. It’s a sturdy looking stone structure with five arches, simple looking, and utilitarian - nothing fancy.
This crossing over the Lagan has been in use as long as people have been in Ireland. Before the first wooden bridge was built in 1617, this was the fording point on the road to the south. In 1655 Captain Shaw, an engineer in Cromwell’s army built a strong oak bridge capable of carrying heavy siege artillery and in 1698 'Shaw’s' Bridge was rebuilt in stone.

When I was very young ( 3 or 4 years) my father brought me here every Saturday morning and we spent an hour underneath the bridge looking for "spricks'
(sticklebacks) in the water, while we waited for my older brother to finish his piano lesson. This was precious quality time with my beloved father and the bridge is one of my earliest memories. Nowadays it has been replaced by a modern structure carrying a dual carriageway. You can just see part of the new bridge to the left of the original one, which is preserved as part of Belfast history.
I felt this pic was a suitable subject for my first foray into sepia.