Masonry Bridges, Viaducts and Aqueducts

For 2,000 years the most durable spanning structures have been built of masonry, and the surviving bridges of the Roman Empire have challenged master masons, architects and engineers to emulate and surpass them. Down the centuries, bridge-builders have been commissioned by monarchs, bishops, councils of state, cities, private individuals and, more recently, waterway and railway companies. The studies collected in this volume focus chiefly on the bridges, viaducts and aqueducts themselves and the actions of the designers and builders, but also encompass the political, economic and social contexts and outcomes of their creation. Famous bridges in Britain, Italy, France, Iran and the USA are all featured. Narratives of conception, design and construction predominate, but there are also papers on construction techniques, on the analysis of documentary sources, and on the continuing search by modern engineers for satisfactory scientific description of the strength and stability of arch bridges.

Contents: Introduction; Testing times for arches, B. Harvey; The Roman bridge-builder: some aspects of his work, N. A. F. Smith; The Pont du Gard and the aqueduct of Nîmes, N. A. F. Smith; Vitruvius and the elevated aqueducts, F. D. Prager; Resistance to technological innovation: the history of the pile driver through the 18th century, M. N. Boyer; Rebuilding the bridge at Albi, 1408-1410, M. N. Boyer; Le Pont du Rialto: un chantier public à Venise à la fin du XVIe siècle, D. Calabi et P. Morachiello; The Pul-i Khwaju in Isfahan: a combination of bridge, dam and water art, H. Luschey; Berwick-on-Tweed Bridge, J. Summerson; Hollow spandrels in arch bridges: a historical study, E. C. Ruddock; Pont-y-pridd: a critical examination of its history, E. I. Williams; William Edwards's bridge at Pontypridd, E. C. Ruddock; The foundations of Hexham Bridge, E. C. Ruddock; Pulteney Bridge, Jean Manco; Two masonry bridges: II. Telford's bridge at Over, J. Heyman and B. D. Threlfall; Arch bridges, J. B. B. Owen; Valley crossings on the Old Croton Aqueduct, L. D. Lankton; The Canton Viaduct, E. D. Galvin; The fall of Barentin Viaduct, 10 January 1846, D. Brooke; The safety of masonry arches, J. Heyman; Index.