THE ALBERT BRIDGE.
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The Albert, or Hutchesontown Bridge, is the fifth bridge to cross the Clyde at or near the Saltmarket since the construction of the first one was started in 1794.
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The first bridge was a complete disaster. The trustees of Hutchesontown were legally required to construct a crossing and had appointed the engineer John Robertson to undertake the project.
But in 1795, while the five-arch bridge was still being built, a high flood swept away the foundations and the bridge was completely destroyed.
Eight years later, a temporary wooden bridge was built, spanning the river just upstream from the original bridge.
In 1829 however, the foundations were laid for the building of a new stone bridge by Robert Stevenson, the grandfather of the famous author, Robert Louis Stevenson.
It took five years for this new five-arch bridge to be completed.
After only 30 years, it was deemed unsafe when the river was deepened and a weir further upstream was removed.
Four years after it was closed, it was demolished and replaced by another wooden bridge. This remained in use until after the completion of the present-day bridge, which opened in 1871.
Crossing between the Saltmarket and Crown Street, this three-arch, 410ft long bridge was constructed using a cast-iron superstucture set on piers of grey granite. These in turn are supported on massive foundations of concrete-filled, cast-iron cylinders. This was the first time that this building technique was used on any of the Glasgow bridges across the Clyde.
