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Prince's Bridge, Melbourne. Beautiful Bridge in colonial Australia.

Prince's Bridge, Melbourne. Beautiful Bridge in colonial Australia.

by Garran, Andrew

Melbourne Prince's Bridge (1886) Heritage Editions reproduction print.

Printed from a hand-coloured original wood engraving published in 1886 for Picturesque Atlas of Australasia to celebrate 100 of development since the First Fleet from Great Britain settled in Sydney, Australia in 1788.

In 1835 there was no fixed crossing of the Yarra River in Melbourne. When private ferries and punts proved insufficient for the growing demand, a wooden trestle toll-bridge was built in 1840 by a private company. When the second bridge was built in sandstone between 1846 and 1851, it was the longest single span bridge in the world. It was known as Lennox's Bridge, after its designer.

A year later, the discovery of gold resulted in a great population increase. The widening and deepening of the river above and below the bridge to accommodate increase in river traffic and to minimize flooding, also created a need for a larger bridge. In 1886, this (current) bluestone bulwark-supported iron bridge was designed by John Grainger (1855-1917) (father of Australian composer Percy Grainger). Construction was supervised by David Munro. 

The size of this view is  approximately 16 x 28cm (6.5x 11 inches)
 

Stock Number: HE222Price: $12.00

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