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Victoria Swing Bridge
Victoria Swing Bridge
Coordinates	55°58′43″N 3°10′12″W / 55.9787251°N 3.1699057°W
Crosses	Water of Leith
Characteristics
Material	Wrought iron
Total length	212 feet (65 m)
Width	24 feet (7.3 m)
Longest span	120 feet (37 m)
History
Engineering design by	Rendel and Robertson
Construction start	1871
Construction end	1874
Construction cost	£30,000
Location

The Victoria Swing Bridge is a swing bridge in Leith docks, Edinburgh, Scotland, which carries a dock road (and previously twin railway lines) across the Water of Leith at a point where it is canalised as the Inner Harbour.

History

The bridge was built between 1871 and 1874 to service the new docks.^[1] It was engineered by Rendel and Robertson, with J. H. Bostock as resident engineer.^[1] McDonald & Grant were contractors for the foundations, and the bridge was built by the Skerne Iron Works.^[1] The works cost around £30,000.^[1]

Until the completion of the Kincardine Bridge, also in Scotland, in 1936, it is thought to have been the longest clear swing bridge span in Britain^[1] (The Swing Bridge, River Tyne, completed two years after the Victoria Bridge, has a longer deck span).

In 1974, the bridge was designated a Category A listed building by Historic Environment Scotland (HES).^[2]

Despite some renovation of the bridge that was completed in 2000,^[3] HES put the structure on the Buildings at Risk Register in 2020 with a risk category of "Moderate". This followed reports of the poor condition of the deck, with timber rotting in places and vegetation taking hold.^[4]

In 2021, Forth Ports was granted listed building consent for a full refurbishment programme, the work to include renovation of the two walkways, re-decking of the carriageway, replacement of the decked turning circle areas and repainting of the metalwork. The project would be financed by a "private six-figure investment".^[5] The refurbishment was completed and the bridge officially reopened in June 2024.^[6]

Design

It was 212 feet (65 m) long in total, with a clear span of 120 feet (37 m), and a roadway width of 24 feet (7.3 m).^[1] The bridge was constructed from wrought iron, and weighed 620 tonnes (610 long tons; 680 short tons), including 60 tonnes (59 long tons; 66 short tons) of timber decking and 240 tonnes (240 long tons; 260 short tons) of kentledge counterweight.^[1] The bridge carried two tracks of a dock railway and a road, and there are footpaths on either side outside the truss structure.^[1]^[7] The tracks and roadway have now been removed, and the bridge has a wooden deck.^[7]

The bridge was powered hydraulically by a power station just to the north.^[8]^[9] It swung to the north, and the space afforded for the counterbalance can still be seen.^[9]

It has been succeeded by a new bridge further downstream, which carries a road & tramline known as Ocean Drive.^[10]^[9]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Edinburgh, Leith Docks, Victoria Swing Bridge". Canmore. Edinburgh: Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
^ "Victoria Swing Bridge, Leith Docks". Listed Buildings. Historic Environment Scotland. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
^ "Audio Trail". The Water of Leith Conservation Trust. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
^ "Victoria Swing Bridge, Leith". Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
^ "Edinburgh grants listed building consent for Victoria Swing Bridge repairs". Scottish Construction Now. 5 November 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
^ McConnell, Ian (11 June 2024). "Historic Scots bridge reopens with celebrations after major revamp". The Herald. Glasgow. p. 23.
^ ^a ^b "Victoria Swing Bridge". leithlocalhistorysociety.org.uk. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
^ "Edinburgh, Leith Docks, Alexandra Dry Dock, Hydraulic Power Station". rcahms.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Victoria Swing Bridge" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
^ "Edinburgh, Leith Docks, Victoria Bridge". rcahms.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 September 2014.