Elgin Bridge
Encyclopedia
Elgin Bridge is a vehicular bridge
across the Singapore River
, linking the Downtown Core
to the Singapore River Planning Area
located within Singapore
's Central Area
.
The existing bridge was completed in 1929 and named after Lord Elgin
, Governor-General of India
(21 March 1862 - 20 November 1863). As this was the first bridge across the river, the two roads leading to it were named North Bridge Road
and South Bridge Road
accordingly.
as early as 1819, the year Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles landed on Singapore
. It was the only bridge across the Singapore River
, linking the Chinese
community on the southern side to the India
n merchants of High Street on the northern side.
This footbridge was replaced by a wooden drawbridge
in 1822 officially named Presentment Bridge. It was also called Monkey Bridge, as its narrowness limited the number of people crossing at a time and therefore using it required some agility.
In 1843, a wooden footbridge
built by John Turnbull Thomson
replaced the drawbridge, but was demolished in 1862, when an iron
bridge was built and named after James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin
, Governor General of India. In 1925 the iron bridge had to make way for a new concrete
bridge, which was opened to traffic by the Governor of the Straits Settlements Sir Hugh Clifford
on 30 May 1929.
Cavaliere Rudolfo Nolli
, an Italian
sculptor, designed the elegant cast iron
lamps on both sides of the bridge. His signature is inscribed beneath the lamps. Bronze
plaques, each with a lion
standing in front of a royal palm tree engraved on it, can also be found below the lamps.
Elgin Bridge is known as thih tiau kio in Hokkien
, meaning "iron suspension bridge".
On 3 November 2008, the bridge was selected for conservation as part of the Urban Redevelopment Authority
's expanded conservation programme.
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
across the Singapore River
Singapore River
The Singapore River is a river in Singapore with great historical importance. The Singapore River flows from the Central Area, which lies in the Central Region in the southern part of Singapore before emptying into the ocean...
, linking the Downtown Core
Downtown Core
The Downtown Core is a 266-hectare urban planning area in the south of the city-state of Singapore. The Downtown Core surrounds the mouth of the Singapore River and southeastern portion of its watershed, and is part of the Central Area, Singapore's central business district...
to the Singapore River Planning Area
Singapore River
The Singapore River is a river in Singapore with great historical importance. The Singapore River flows from the Central Area, which lies in the Central Region in the southern part of Singapore before emptying into the ocean...
located within Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
's Central Area
Central Area
In Singapore, the Central Area or Central Business District contains the core financial and commercial districts, including eleven urban planning areas, namely Downtown Core, Marina East, Marina South, Museum, Newton, Orchard, Outram, River Valley, Rochor, Singapore River and Straits View as...
.
The existing bridge was completed in 1929 and named after Lord Elgin
James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin
Sir James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine, KT, GCB, PC , was a British colonial administrator and diplomat...
, Governor-General of India
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India was the head of the British administration in India, and later, after Indian independence, the representative of the monarch and de facto head of state. The office was created in 1773, with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William...
(21 March 1862 - 20 November 1863). As this was the first bridge across the river, the two roads leading to it were named North Bridge Road
North Bridge Road
North Bridge Road is a road in Singapore north of Singapore River, that starts at the junction of Crawford Street and ends before Elgin Bridge, which the road becomes South Bridge Road. The road is one of the oldest roads in Singapore and was outlined in Raffles' 1822 Town Plan...
and South Bridge Road
South Bridge Road
South Bridge Road is a road south of Singapore River in Chinatown, Singapore which starts from Elgin Bridge and ends at the junction of Neil Road, Tanjong Pagar Road and Maxwell Road....
accordingly.
History
Elgin Bridge is believed to have existed at its current location as an unnamed footbridgeFootbridge
A footbridge or pedestrian bridge is a bridge designed for pedestrians and in some cases cyclists, animal traffic and horse riders, rather than vehicular traffic. Footbridges complement the landscape and can be used decoratively to visually link two distinct areas or to signal a transaction...
as early as 1819, the year Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles landed on Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. It was the only bridge across the Singapore River
Singapore River
The Singapore River is a river in Singapore with great historical importance. The Singapore River flows from the Central Area, which lies in the Central Region in the southern part of Singapore before emptying into the ocean...
, linking the Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
community on the southern side to the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n merchants of High Street on the northern side.
This footbridge was replaced by a wooden drawbridge
Drawbridge
A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle surrounded by a moat. The term is often used to describe all different types of movable bridges, like bascule bridges and lift bridges.-Castle drawbridges:...
in 1822 officially named Presentment Bridge. It was also called Monkey Bridge, as its narrowness limited the number of people crossing at a time and therefore using it required some agility.
In 1843, a wooden footbridge
Footbridge
A footbridge or pedestrian bridge is a bridge designed for pedestrians and in some cases cyclists, animal traffic and horse riders, rather than vehicular traffic. Footbridges complement the landscape and can be used decoratively to visually link two distinct areas or to signal a transaction...
built by John Turnbull Thomson
John Turnbull Thomson
John Turnbull Thomson was a British civil engineer and artist who played an instrumental role in the development of the early infrastructure of nineteenth century Singapore and New Zealand. -Biography:...
replaced the drawbridge, but was demolished in 1862, when an iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
bridge was built and named after James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin
James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin
Sir James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine, KT, GCB, PC , was a British colonial administrator and diplomat...
, Governor General of India. In 1925 the iron bridge had to make way for a new concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
bridge, which was opened to traffic by the Governor of the Straits Settlements Sir Hugh Clifford
Hugh Clifford
Sir Hugh Charles Clifford, GCMG, GBE was a British colonial administrator.-Early life:Clifford was born in Roehampton, London, the sixth of the eight children of Major-General Sir Henry Hugh Clifford and his wife Josephine Elizabeth, née Anstice; his grandfather was Hugh Clifford, 7th Baron...
on 30 May 1929.
Cavaliere Rudolfo Nolli
Rudolfo Nolli
Cavaliere Rudolfo Nolli — was a sculptor and architect from Lombardy, who during the first half of the 20th century worked mainly at the gulf of Siam....
, an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
sculptor, designed the elegant cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
lamps on both sides of the bridge. His signature is inscribed beneath the lamps. Bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
plaques, each with a lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
standing in front of a royal palm tree engraved on it, can also be found below the lamps.
Elgin Bridge is known as thih tiau kio in Hokkien
Min Nan
The Southern Min languages, or Min Nan , are a family of Chinese languages spoken in southern Fujian, eastern Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, and southern Zhejiang provinces of China, and by descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora....
, meaning "iron suspension bridge".
On 3 November 2008, the bridge was selected for conservation as part of the Urban Redevelopment Authority
Urban Redevelopment Authority
The Urban Redevelopment Authority is the national urban planning authority of Singapore, and a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Singapore Government.-Mission:The authority was established on 1 April 1974, and is of especially critical importance to the city-state,...
's expanded conservation programme.