‘Now you see it, now you don’t…’
Did you know that there was a bridge over Victoria Dock for 21 years?
[The image on the left show the SS Ardgantock which transported all moving leaves and two quadrants to site and the image on the right shows the bascule bridge in half open position. Both taken from the commemorative programme.]
The ‘bridge over south entrance (new)’ file contains information regarding the planning of the project. There are reports and recommendations to the works committee discussing what kind of bridge was required, costings and responses to tender. It also contains information on how the works would be carried out and who by, insurance considerations and newspaper cuttings. This is great because it builds a real picture of how the project was progressing.
One particularly human element of the build arises in a letter from the North of Scotland & Orkney & Shetland Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. where the manager of the company expresses concern on behalf of his workers and the general public. He notes that the swing bridge at the dock gates would be out of operation for around two years during construction requiring people to walk round to Regent Bridge. This would affect dockers and shed workers on a daily basis as well as causing visitors to miss connections.
Whoever created the file also decided to keep documents relating to the publicity and celebration surrounding the opening of the bridge by the Queen Mother on 30th September 1953. There is a particularly good note from the harbour office concerning the gangway required for the event.
‘He [Mr Smith] had been informed that the gangway must be 3’ 3’’ wide and 3’ 6’’ high, the sides of the gangway being covered with some material. The slope had to not be more than 15° from the horizontal and special care to be taken with the treads of the gangway as the Queen wears very high heels.’
We also have a surviving copy of the guest list, an invitation sent to Mr and Mrs J. Hay Petrie (Harbour Manager), police arrangements, schedules and even a menu from the luncheon at the Beach Ballroom. I’m not sure how I feel about Grapefruit Maraschino.
One of my favourite items is a list of 50 suggested names for the bridge split into four categories – place names, persons, historical and ecclesiastical. Some of the possibilities were Silver City, Fittiegait, Anderson (after the engineer), Princess Anne, Neptune, Bon-Accord, Majestic and St. Nicholas. The most suggested name was Coronation. Whoever wrote the memo favoured Balnagask Bridge but this has been crossed out in pencil with the note ‘no connection’. The name St Clements was decided before the ceremony but wasn’t publicly revealed until the Queen Mother announced it.
So, what happened to St. Clements Bridge? From piecing together Press & Journal articles from 1975, I’ve managed to put together an idea. On 21st January 1975 the bridge had already been closed to the public and by 18th February the removal was already in progress. The decision to take down the bridge was taken because there was a need to widen and deepen the entrance to Victoria Dock due to ‘suit the changing patterns of shipping traffic which North Sea oil exploration has drawn to Aberdeen’[3]. On 4th March 1975, Press and Journal published an article with the first line ‘now you see it, now you don’t…’. It declared that St Clements bridge was full demolished but that the commemoration plaque put in place during the Queen Mother’s visit had been saved.
Do you remember the bridge? Let us know in the comments.
I lived with my family on James Street. Around the harbour was our play area
ReplyDeleteI was 3 or 4 years old when the St Clements Bridge was built.
I don't remember how the bridge opened and closed to let the boats in and out but was often terrified this would happen while I was crossing with my family. My brother frequently teased me about this.
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