Two bridges!
Jan. 13th, 2014 09:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xenithOne of the quotes from yesterday's post was curious and I wanted to follow up on it, but that means looking at the Ross and Campbell Bridges first.
This is the Ross Bridge, finished in 1836, a good ten years after Richmond's bridge. I was just going to post one photo of with a link to photos I've shared before. But then I was looking for some informationon the previous bridge and came across a document entitled Nomination for an National Engineering Landmark Revisited by The Engineering Heritage Tasmania Engineers Australia July 2006 (PDF) which has a curious bit in it about the carvings. I'll include that bit here.
The initiative to provide each of the arch stones with a deep relief carving originated with Daniel Herbert. It is most striking that, in amongst all the voluminous correspondence concerning this bridge, between the Lieutenant-Governor, the Colonial Architect/Engineer, the Superintendent of Convicts, the Inspector of Public Works, local settlers and the Superintendent of Ross, there is not any mention of these carvings. Herbert must have gained prior permission from Capt. Turner to sculpt these stones, and this permission must have been granted, at least verbally.
Capt. Turner did not officially inform anyone of his decision. John Lee Archer must have seen this work in progress during one of his site visits, yet his diary appears to be silent on the subject. The same applies to Roderick O'Connor, the Inspector of Works. There are 186 icons, one on each of the voussoirs forming the six arches. Sculpting these stones cannot have been done in secret. One may postulate that Capt. Turner, having given Herbert permission to do this work, led a conspiracy of silence, by explaining to all concerned that the carving of these stones was the convicts' contribution to the appearance of the bridge and was improving morale, and thus efficiency and standard of workmanship.
An extensive review of stone arch bridges in Italy (Roman arches), and the remainder of continental Europe and UK, especially France in the 17th and 18th century, has failed to identify similar carvings. The only decorations found occasionally were carvings of coats of arms on the key stones of central spans of stone arch bridges. The bridge at Ross must be considered unique in the world in this respect.
There is also, in the actually rather interesting section on the bridge's history, a short bit about the original bridge and the problems with getting started its replacement. This is the only picture I can find of the earlier bridge. It's on the wall of the museum in the wool centre at Ross. (Much better copy of the bridge picture) The Engineers' report says, in part,
Following a number of inapt attempts at organising the repair work, using prisoners as labour, in 1831 one span of the bridge finally collapsed. This span was speedily repaired. By this time, the Inspector of Roads, Roderick O’Connor, developed the concept of a brick arch bridge, which would be considerably more durable than the existing timber log bridge. Accordingly, brick kilns were built and commenced producing bricks, causing a minor building boom in Ross, using the convict labour meant for the bridgework.
The Engineer Lee Archer arrived in November 1831, and suggested that the bridge be built out of sandstone available from a government quarry situated nearby and providing high quality stone.
During all this time, there was stationed at Ross a gang of convicts specially assigned to repair and maintain the bridge. This gang did obtain logs and stored them at the bridge site, as well as sandstone rocks from the quarry. However, failing any attempt to organise this gang, materials were pilfered by the local settlers and individual convicts went to work as labourers. Both the township and the surrounding countryside was being settled at the time, so both building materials and builder’s labourers were in short supply.
Also in the Wool Centre display are some copies of the bridge carvings.
Contemplating the design and details of this bridge compared to the one at Richmond.
individual parapet blocks are meticulously tied with wrought iron dog clamps, carefully
caulked with lead (and marked with broad arrows).
The Heritage Database for this bridge is short. It says...
Probably the finest masonry bridge of its period in Australia, the Ross Bridge was built in the period 1830-36 on the orders of Governor Arthur to a design by remarkable architect John Lee Archer. The unique features of the bridge are the fine carvings in high relief of animal forms, human heads and celtic icons by convict stone mason, Daniel Herbert. The bridge is the essential element of the historic town of Ross.
This is the Ross Bridge, finished in 1836, a good ten years after Richmond's bridge. I was just going to post one photo of with a link to photos I've shared before. But then I was looking for some informationon the previous bridge and came across a document entitled Nomination for an National Engineering Landmark Revisited by The Engineering Heritage Tasmania Engineers Australia July 2006 (PDF) which has a curious bit in it about the carvings. I'll include that bit here.
The initiative to provide each of the arch stones with a deep relief carving originated with Daniel Herbert. It is most striking that, in amongst all the voluminous correspondence concerning this bridge, between the Lieutenant-Governor, the Colonial Architect/Engineer, the Superintendent of Convicts, the Inspector of Public Works, local settlers and the Superintendent of Ross, there is not any mention of these carvings. Herbert must have gained prior permission from Capt. Turner to sculpt these stones, and this permission must have been granted, at least verbally.
Capt. Turner did not officially inform anyone of his decision. John Lee Archer must have seen this work in progress during one of his site visits, yet his diary appears to be silent on the subject. The same applies to Roderick O'Connor, the Inspector of Works. There are 186 icons, one on each of the voussoirs forming the six arches. Sculpting these stones cannot have been done in secret. One may postulate that Capt. Turner, having given Herbert permission to do this work, led a conspiracy of silence, by explaining to all concerned that the carving of these stones was the convicts' contribution to the appearance of the bridge and was improving morale, and thus efficiency and standard of workmanship.
An extensive review of stone arch bridges in Italy (Roman arches), and the remainder of continental Europe and UK, especially France in the 17th and 18th century, has failed to identify similar carvings. The only decorations found occasionally were carvings of coats of arms on the key stones of central spans of stone arch bridges. The bridge at Ross must be considered unique in the world in this respect.
There is also, in the actually rather interesting section on the bridge's history, a short bit about the original bridge and the problems with getting started its replacement. This is the only picture I can find of the earlier bridge. It's on the wall of the museum in the wool centre at Ross. (Much better copy of the bridge picture) The Engineers' report says, in part,
Following a number of inapt attempts at organising the repair work, using prisoners as labour, in 1831 one span of the bridge finally collapsed. This span was speedily repaired. By this time, the Inspector of Roads, Roderick O’Connor, developed the concept of a brick arch bridge, which would be considerably more durable than the existing timber log bridge. Accordingly, brick kilns were built and commenced producing bricks, causing a minor building boom in Ross, using the convict labour meant for the bridgework.
The Engineer Lee Archer arrived in November 1831, and suggested that the bridge be built out of sandstone available from a government quarry situated nearby and providing high quality stone.
During all this time, there was stationed at Ross a gang of convicts specially assigned to repair and maintain the bridge. This gang did obtain logs and stored them at the bridge site, as well as sandstone rocks from the quarry. However, failing any attempt to organise this gang, materials were pilfered by the local settlers and individual convicts went to work as labourers. Both the township and the surrounding countryside was being settled at the time, so both building materials and builder’s labourers were in short supply.
Also in the Wool Centre display are some copies of the bridge carvings.
Contemplating the design and details of this bridge compared to the one at Richmond.
individual parapet blocks are meticulously tied with wrought iron dog clamps, carefully
caulked with lead (and marked with broad arrows).
The Heritage Database for this bridge is short. It says...
Probably the finest masonry bridge of its period in Australia, the Ross Bridge was built in the period 1830-36 on the orders of Governor Arthur to a design by remarkable architect John Lee Archer. The unique features of the bridge are the fine carvings in high relief of animal forms, human heads and celtic icons by convict stone mason, Daniel Herbert. The bridge is the essential element of the historic town of Ross.
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Date: 2014-01-13 05:52 pm (UTC)