Erskine Bridge joins Castle and Cathedral on the A-list
IT is Scotland’s highest bridge and is one of the most recognisable river crossings in the country.
Now the Erskine Bridge, which is the last crossing on the Clyde before it widens into a firth, has been granted listed-building status, putting it on a par with some of the country’s most iconic buildings.
After being opened in July 1971 by Princess Anne, the concrete and steel behemoth has been made a Category A-listed building by Historic Environment Scotland.
This means it joins other A-listed constructions across Scotland, including the Glenfinnan Viaduct, Edinburgh Castle and Glasgow Cathedral.
The bridge connects Old Kilpatrick and Erskine, and has seen millions of vehicles pass over its sweeping kilometre road. It was built to replace the defunct Erskine ferry, which was thought to be the oldest ferry crossing of the Clyde, dating back to 1777.
Masterminded by the Welsh bridge designer William Brown, it was one of many bridges he built across the world, including the Forth Road Bridge outside of Edinburgh. The single-cable bridge, which is rare for a road bridge of its size, followed the infrastructure revolution during the 1960s, which resulted in a massive expansion of motorway networks as the number of private cars soared.
The M8 was opened in 1965; the Tay Bridge in 1966; and the Forth Road Bridge in 1964, all of which helped transform travel across the country. The bridge narrowly escaped disaster in 1996 when it was damaged by a 6,500-tonne oil rig which scraped along its underside while being towed down the river.
The damage caused by the Texaco Captain resulted in the bridge being closed to the public and costing
£3 million to repair.
The bridge was also the site of two recorded births on the bridge. One boy, born in September 1990 was named Oliver Erskine Edwards in its honour.