Excerpt:
Despite its pioneering technology in 1779, as the first structural use of cast iron, no eye witness accounts are known which describe the Iron Bridge being erected. However, recent discoveries, research and experiments have shed new light on the mystery of exactly how it was built, challenging the assumptions of recent decades. In 1997 a small watercolour sketch by Elias Martin came to light in Stockholm. Although there are a wealth of early views of the Bridge by numerous artists, this is the only one which actually shows it under construction.
Annotation:
The BBC's David de Haan discusses the many advances in investigating how England's Iron Bridge, designed by Abraham Darby, was built. To do so, he focuses on a 2001 attempt to reconstruct the bridge at half scale using period materials. The article includes a detailed account of the project, as well as photographs of the project, computerized images of the bridge's architecture, and photos of the bridge itself. De Haan also includes facts and figures about the original Iron Bridge and provides a brief list of further readings on the subject.