WATERLOO BRIDGE IS one of the finest stone bridges con structed over the Thames ; its bold, solid style of architec ture being admirably suited to the character of a bridge over a large and important river, where massiveness and strength, combined with taste in design, have been judiciously and pleasingly combined ; and when to these considerations are added the circumstance of its having a roadway perfectly level throughout, we may safely conie to the conclusion, that it is one of the most successful specimens of bridge-building which has ever been produced. The celebrated Canova was loud in its praises, and extolled it as the beau-ideal of such constructions.
It was built by the late eminent engineer Rennie, who submitted two plans, one with seven arches, and the other nine ; the latter was adopted, and the first stone of the new structure was laid in the October of 1811. The foundations he formed by means of 6°11'er-dams, composed of three rows of piles one within the other, at a distance of about :31 feet between the rows ; the intermediate spaces having been carefully filled in with well-rammed clay. The water was then pumped out of the coder-damn, and piles a foot square, and about 20 feet long, were driven into the bed of the river. A framework of timber was then constructed on the top of those piles, and the spaces between the pile-heads, to a depth of about a foot and a half, were filled in with stones tightly packed, and well grouted with liquid mortar. A floor of beech-planking, six inches in thickness, was bolted to the timber frame-work, on which the masonry of the piers and abutments was then commenced.
The entire surface-work of this bridge was built of Corn ish granite, and the interior consists principally of Craigleith sandstone, well bonded, and cemented by a grouting of mor tar. The spandrels of the arches were left hollow, to avoid
an undue loading of the haunches, with the exception of six transverse brick-walls, for the purpose of supporting the roadway.
All the arches of the bridge are the same—semi-elliptical in form, 120 feet in span, and having a rise or versine of 35 feet. This allows a clear waterway of 1,080 feet. The piers are 87 feet long, from the extremity of one cut-water to another ; they are 30 feet in width at the foundations, and diminish to 20 feet at the springing of the arches. Over each pier there is a rectangular recess, which is supported by Doric pillars, these, together with an open stone balus trade, give a certain degree of lightness to the edifice, with out interfering with its characteristic solidity.
The entire length of Waterloo Bridge, including its approaches, which are built on land-arches, at either side of the river, is 2,456 feet.
This bridge took only six years to construct; and it was so carefully put together, every stone having been accurately put into its place, and so well driven home, that on removing the centres, the arches did not sink more than an inch and a half at the crown ; which is truly wonderful, when their im mense span is taken into consideration.
Waterloo Bridge was built by a Joint-Stock Company, empowered by act of Parliament to raise a million of money ; to pay off which, and reimburse its proprietors, a small toll is levied from passengers; and now that the South Western Railway is completed as flu• as the Waterloo-station, the traffic over the bridge, and consequently the returns derived from the tolls, have been considerably augmented.