North Bridge Edinburgh 

‘As they crossed the North Bridge Elspeth held up her hand to show two crossed fingers. ‘What’s that for?’ asked John. 

‘About 25 years ago,’ she explained, ‘and just before it opened, the north end of the bridge collapsed. Five men were killed. A lot of people still wonder if it’s safe. I’m one of them.’ The problem had been that the foundations of the abutment weren’t deep enough.’ This is a quote from The Claudians: gardens, landscapes, reason and faith: John Claudius Loudon and Claudius Buchanan, Tom Turner (Kindle, 2024). 

More about Edinburgh's North Bridge

The North Bridge is so named because it spans a valley to the north of the city's historic Old Town, and connects it with the New Town area to the north. The bridge was constructed in the late 18th century. Its construction was a significant engineering feat for its time, as it required spanning the deep ravine formed by the Nor Loch, a former body of water that had been partially drained to make way for urban development. John Claudius Loudon lived in Leith Terrace at the top of Leith Walk and used the North Bridge to reach both the Commercial Academy and  Edinburgh University's Old College, where he attended lectures by Britain's first Professor of Agriculture: Dr Andrew Coventry. The remains of the Nor Loch were still visible at that time.