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The Mathematical Bridge is a wooden footbridge in the southwest of central Cambridge, England. It bridges the River Cam about one hundred feet northwest of Silver Street Bridge and connects two parts of Queens' College. Its official name is simply the Wooden Bridge[ 2 ] or Queens' Bridge. [ 3 ] It is a Grade II listed building.
- Quick Briefing
- History of The Bridge at Queens’
- Decay Of, and Repairs to, The Queens’ Bridge
- Principles of The Design
- History of The Design
- Other Bridges to Similar Designs
- The Myths and Falsehoods Concerning The Queens’ Bridge
- Speculation
- Further Reading
The design is a minor triumph of mid-18th century engineering, for which credit must go to James King (d. 1744);The bridge spans a 50-foot river using multiple shorter lengths of timber: for instance, the horizontal element which appears to span the entire river is made of six shorter timbers jointed end-to-...The design is an implementation in timber of a voussoirarch bridge, in which the individual elements are held in a state of compression by the action of gravity on the whole structure: a voussoir b...Wood is a weak material if subjected to bending (consider how easy it is to break a match by bending it): in this bridge design, the timbers in the side trusses are subjected to little or no bendin...The erection of the bridge occurred at the same time as the building of brick walls along the river banks and alterations in the layout of the Grove. It can therefore be difficult in reading the college records to distinguish one project from another. The following entries in the Magnum Journaleappear to be relevant to the Bridge or riverside works...
It was inevitable that any structure of wood would require occasional repair and maintenance: Agreed that the Essex Bridge be repaired. [Conclusion Book, 1794 Jan 17] By the mid-19th century, the original bridge of 1749 was developing problems from the decay of certain timber elements. Judging by the photographic evidence, the main problems were th...
As exhibited in the Queens’ version of the design, the main members of each truss are set at tangents to the circle describing the underside of the arch of the bridge. In the bottom arch itself, each tangential member is in compression with little or no bending moment, an ideal application of wood as a structural material. Where the tangential memb...
Etheridge had previously been foreman to James King (d. 1744), master carpenter during the building of the first Westminster Bridge1737–50. Of King it was reported that: Mr K. was, without education, a man of ingenuity and considerable self-taught mechanical knowledge. [Gentleman’s Magazine, Vol. 65, Pt 2, July 1795, p. 618] It is to James King tha...
The old Walton Bridge was also designed by William Etheridge, built by a Mr White of Weybridge during 1748–50, and paid for by Samuel Dicker, later M.P. for Plymouth. This print of the Walton Bridge was published in the Gentleman’s Magazineof 1750, Supplement, pp. 588–9. The Walton Bridge was much admired for its strength, contrivance and remarkabl...
For a bridge whose history is so well-documented, it is curious that so many false stories have become associated with it. One’s curiosity is aroused as to how these stories originated. But there are difficulties in researching the origin of falsehoods: (a) with true history, there is always the prospect of discovering primary material which valida...
How did Etheridge and Queens’ College become introduced to each other? Etheridge had no known connection with Cambridge. At the time that the model for Queens’ was made, he was working as master carpenter at Westminster Bridge, with no particular recognition outside of London. No bridge to his design had ever been built. The bridge at Walton, which...
1886: The Architectural History of the University of Cambridge, by Robert Willis and John Willis Clark, Vol. 2, pp. 55–6. (OCLC 6104300) 1886: ibid., Vol. 3, pp. 540–6. [account of James Essex] 1888: Journal of a tour through part of Flanders and France in August, 1773, by James Essex, F.S.A., ed. William Milner Fawcett, Cambridge Antiquarian Soc...
Home > Cambridge Bridges > Mathematical Bridge. One of the most recognisable structures on the Cam, Queens' College bridge was originally built in 1749 by James Essex the Younger. Since then it has been rebuilt twice to the original design of William Etheridge, once in 1866 and again in 1905. In 1866 the bridge deck was changed from a stepped ...
Nov 30, 2021 · The famed Mathematical Bridge is a wooden footbridge structure on The Backs of Cambridge, which crosses the River Cam, and connects the old and new sections of the Queens’ College. The bridge was first constructed in 1749 and has a longstanding admiration of bridge aficionados because of its engineering qualities.
Located at Queens' College, this wooden footbridge was built in 1749. ... Exploring Cambridge > ... The Mathematical Bridge ...
Mar 2, 2021 · The Mathematical Bridge - also known simply as the Wooden Bridge - leans across the River Cam, connecting two parts of Queens' College at Cambridge University.
Aug 20, 2019 · Discover Mathematical Bridge in Cambridge, England: Local legend says Isaac Newton built this footbridge without any screws, bolts, or nails. ... Queens' College Moondial. 0.04 miles. Xu Zhimo ...
