Royal Albert Bridge And Seventeen Approach Spans

The Royal Albert Bridge, along with its seventeen approach spans, is a railway bridge over the River Tamar designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Cornwall Railway while it was leased to the Great Western Railway. Construction began in 1848, was restarted in 1854, and was completed in 1859, with Brunel himself being the first to cross it, despite being gravely ill at the time. The bridge features granite-built piers, with paired land piers and solid outer water piers resting on oval plinths. The central pier and a group of four octagonal piers are connected by trelliswork.

The two main spans each measure 135 metres and are supported by a unique suspension system using cast iron segmental tubes, making it the only surviving railway bridge of its kind. This structure is known as a bowstring tubular plate girder bridge, combining elements of suspension and arch design. The two tubular arches exert outward thrust on the abutments, counterbalancing the inward pull of the chains. The portals on the outer river piers are designed in a pylon style, faced with ashlar stone and featuring tall elliptical arches set in square recesses. On the Cornish side, there is raised lettering above the arch that reads "I K Brunel Engineer 1859."

The bridge has seventeen approach spans on both sides, with those on the Cornish side rising above the remnants of the inner town along the quay and curving southwest towards the station. The structure stands 51 metres above high water mark at the top of the tubes, meeting the Admiralty's requirement for a 30-metre clearance for masts. The total cost of the bridge was under £225,000, and it has long been celebrated as a remarkable achievement in engineering.