| A Description of Westminster Bridge: To Which Are Added, an Account of the Methods Made Use of in Laying the Foundations of Its Piers Contributor(s): Labelye, Charles (Author) |
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ISBN: 1108071953 ISBN-13: 9781108071956 Publisher: Cambridge University Press OUR PRICE: $32.29 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: August 2014 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History - Technology & Engineering | History |
| Series: Cambridge Library Collection - Technology |
| Physical Information: 0.31" H x 5.5" W x 8.5" (0.39 lbs) 132 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The construction of the first Westminster Bridge, upon which Wordsworth composed his famous sonnet, presented many challenges in terms of the materials and methods with which a sturdy bridge could be built in tidal water and on a gravelly riverbed. A number of candidates presented their surveys to the commissioners of the bridge, but it was the Swiss-born Charles Labelye (1705-62) who was appointed to oversee construction in 1738. The bridge opened to traffic in 1750. This 1751 publication expands upon the shorter work that Labelye had prepared in 1739 to address the laying of the foundations. Significantly, he used caissons - vast wooden structures sunk into the riverbed - within which the stone piers were built. Although the promised illustrations did not appear in this work, the book provides a valuable insight into the technical problems of a major engineering project, and the solutions available at that time. |