Elegant Albert Bridge in 1879 across the Torrens opens metro transport links through Adelaide city via Frome Road
The Soouth Australian state-heritage-listed Albert Bridge on Frome Road, Adelaide city, from 1879 maintained its elegance through to the 21st Century – an elegance only sullied by rare accidents such as in the early 20th Century (inset) with a chauffeur and the vehicle's owner, plus interested onlookers, reflecting on the possible worse outcome.
Images courtesy City of Adelaide and the Adelaide Park Lands Preservation Association
The new Albert Bridge on Frome Street, Adelaide city, near the zoo, in 1879 improved communication and transporting goods to eastern, northern and southern Adelaide.
The bridge was the site of an earlier bridge, destroyed by floods in the late 1840s. Temporarily, a footbridge of timber was erected alongside. Before the Albert Bridge, City Bridge in King William Road carried most traffic across the River Torrens. In August 1871, after a special meeting of Adelaide city council, a petition to the South Australian parliament asked for £4000 towards building a bridge over the river at or near the present Frome Road crossing.
Soon after, at a public meeting called by the mayor to discuss the issue, John Clark moved that “the present bridges (Morphett Street and King William Road) connecting North and South Adelaide were inadequate for the traffic”. But priority was given to rebuilding the dilapidated City Bridge in the mid 1870s. It was proposed that the old City Bridge be transferred to being used for Frome Road crossing site but, after tenders were called in 1877, the cost was found to be excessive.
In January 1878, tenders were received to erect a bridge at the Frome Road crossing to the design of John Grainger and Henry Worsley. Grainger, an architect and civil engineer, later moved to Melbourne where he designed the Princes Bridge as well as notable buildings in Western Australia. His Adelaide works included the Barr Smith family’s Auchendarroch House at Mount Barker and the Ambassadors Hotel in King William Street, Adelaide city. He was also the father of famous musician and composer Percy Grainger.
The Albert Bridge had a span of 120 feet (36 metres) broken into two spans of 20 feet (nine metres) and a central span of 18 metres (60 metres). The cast-iron work was imported from England and combined with Tea Tree Gully sandstone to abutments, piers and wing walls. The bridge, costing a high £9000, was erected by M.C. Davies and J. Wishart under the city surveyor J.H. Langdon.
The foundation stone was laid by city mayor Henry Scott in August 1878 and the bridge opened on May 7, 1879,, It was named Albert Bridge after prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, to honour his visit to the province that year.
In 1933, the original timber decking was replaced with reinforced, again replaced in the 1980s. Guard rails and improved lighting were added in 2000 to improve safety while retaining its gracious features.
