The 19th-Century Suspension Footbridges of Harpers of Aberdeen

Abstract

Harpers of Aberdeen, Scotland, developed a light suspension footbridge that had little connection with the 'blacksmith bridges' of the earlier part of the 19th century. Apart from scale, they differed in having a unique tensioning device together with an arched deck. Of perhaps 60 built, only a handful survive. They have not previously been described. These bridges provide a valuable insight into the affordable and adaptable engineering solutions, easily exported to all corners of the empire, which were adopted for small-scale projects during the course of the 19th century.