Waterloo bridge, a bridge forged in a era of industrial triumph, and rebuilt in the darkest days of war. Rob Bell, London’s Greatest Bridges IV: Waterloo Bridge
In 1817 Reny’s masterpiece was finally finished. It was nearly a kilometre long and weighed 100,000 tons. It was the most expensive bridge ever built in Britain and hugely over budget. ibid.
In 1878 the bridge was nationalised for less than half its construction cost. ibid.
Spectacular bridges, breathtaking buildings, extraordinary structures: our man-made world is awe-inspiring. But in an instant it can crumble before our eyes … To investigate why sometimes our bridges and buildings fail with disastrous consequences. I’m visiting the scenes of some of the world’s worst disasters. Rob Bell, When Buildings Collapse: World’s Worst Engineering Disasters: Miami Bridge, Channel 5 2019
These deadly mistakes cost lives and teach engineers how to save them. ibid.
This is the US41, an 8-lane highway that takes you from downtown Miami to the Everglades national park … 15th March 2018: a bridge collapsing and then crushing the line of vehicles waiting in the light below. ibid.
But just five days later that project was literally in ruins. ibid.
Florida International University’s bridge. The collapse resulted in the deaths of six people. ibid.
Kansas: The city’s Hyatt Regency Hotel skywalks 1978: In 1981 1,500 people were attending a social event … The death toll rose: 114 people died that night and a further 216 people were injured. ibid.
A fatal design change turned the skywalks into death traps … So who changed the design and why? ibid.
2018 Jakarta: Another internal suspended walkway … The walkway fell when hanger rods broke away from the ceiling … 77 people were injured. ibid.
Residents have moved out of a south London estate … One type of building in Britain that’s become notorious for its design defects … More tower blocks were built in the same way as Ronan Point. ibid.
The Grenfell fire became Britain’s worst tower block tragedy killing 72 people and injuring at least 70 more. ibid.
Bridges are at the heart of all our lives. They connect people and places. But they also change things for ever. I want to find out how London’s bridges changed Britain. Rob Bell, London’s Greatest Bridges I: Secrets of London Bridge, Channel 5 2021
I’m looking at the first bridge of them all. For over 1,700 years the only bridge in the city – London Bridge. ibid.
Until the 12th century when some descriptions of a truly spectacular bridge appear … It is covered in buildings … the churches. ibid.
The heads of enemies of the state were a feature of the bridge for nearly 400 years. ibid.
The houses came down, as did the shops and the businesses. ibid.
One of the designs came from an engineering legend, Thomas Telford … It is utterly spectacular … This single arch … This is stunning. So clean. So why wasn’t it built? ibid.
It becomes a tourist attraction on the other side of the ocean. ibid.
The most iconic bridge of them all: Tower Bridge … Why it became the bridge at the centre of the world. Rob Bell, London’s Greatest Bridges II: Tower Bridge: Gateway to London
What was at one time London’s port … One of the most multicultural corners of the world in the nineteenth century. ibid.
It was the design changes once Barry was on board that turned Jones’s concept into a workable bridge. ibid.
Peel back that masonry and the skeleton is made up of 11,000 tons of steel. ibid.
A bridge shrouded in dirty politics right from the start – Westminster bridge. Its history is entwined with the governance of Britain, its politicians and people. Because from its construction in the eighteenth century to its modern-day incarnation Westminster bridge’s story is one of argument, protest and sabotage. Rob Bell, London’s Greatest Bridges III: Westminster Bridge
For the first time in 500 years a new bridge was to be built in London … The bridge was finally completed in 1750. ibid.
What of the bridge that would replace it? And how would that define a new Victorian London? ibid.
Waterloo bridge, a bridge forged in a era of industrial triumph, and rebuilt in the darkest days of war. Rob Bell, London’s Greatest Bridges IV: Waterloo Bridge
In 1817 Reny’s masterpiece was finally finished. It was nearly a kilometre long and weighed 100,000 tons. It was the most expensive bridge ever built in Britain and hugely over budget. ibid.
In 1878 the bridge was nationalised for less than half its construction cost. ibid.
The Clifton Suspension Bridge showcased Brunel the engineering radical. Rob Bell, Brunel: Building a Great Britain, Channel 5 2020
So how did they build them? … Staggering tales of innovation, epic adventure, and danger. Rob Bell, Lighthouses: Building the Impossible s1e1: Eddystone Lighthouse, Channel 5 2021
Britain’s unluckiest lighthouse: three towers smashed by the sea, consumed by fire and defeated by jagged rocks. How did one finally stand up to the when so many had failed? This is a story of audacious engineering and geniuses who achieved the impossible. All in the midst of Britain’s most unforgiving seas. ibid.
In 1698 the light was lit on the world’s first rock lighthouse. ibid.
On 16th October 1759 the light was lit on Smeaton’s tower. ibid.
The success of Smeaton’s tower can be measured by the number of rock lighthouses that sprung up around the British Isles. ibid.
On a deadly reef in one of the most hostile locations on Earth … 11 miles offshore lies one of Britain’s most deadliest reefs, the Bell Rock, a jagged cluster of stubborn sandstone. Rob Bell, Lighthouses: Building the Impossible s1e2: The Bell Rock
At high tide the whole thing can be 16 fee underwater. ibid.
Robert Stevenson was a young and ambitious engineer. ibid.
The industrial revolution meant more ships than ever braving these stormy waters. ibid.
Ireland’s Guardian of the Atlantic. It’s the last of the great rock lighthouses. Built in terrible conditions that engineering struggled to conquer. Rob Bell, Lighthouses: Building the Impossible s1e3: The Fastnet Rock
In the 19th century dozens of lighthouses were built around the coast of the Emerald Isle.
The iron-and-brick Fastnet Lighthouse was completed in 1854. ibid.
The Rock Lighthouse, one of the most heroic feats of engineering in maritime history. Built to save the lives of thousands at sea. Drowned in epic storms. So how did they build them. And how do they stay standing. Rob Bell, Lighthouses: Building the Impossible s2e1: Wolf Rock, Channel 5 2022
This is Penzance … to warn ships away, strong enough to withstand the battering from the Atlantic, and they built right on top of the rock. ibid.
It would take a gruelling three years just to dig the foundations. ibid.
On a deadly rock far out at sea. An enigmatic designer risks his life. To bring hope to one of Britain’s most extreme locations. This is a story of the uncanny, the unpredictable and the inspirational. Here at The Smalls lighthouse. Rob Bell, Lighthouses, Building the Impossible s2e2: Smalls Lighthouse
The middle of the Irish sea in the winter of 1801. Around 20 miles off the coast of Pembrokeshire is one of the remotest lighthouses in the world … Today that very same spot is watched over by a wonder of Victorian engineering. ibid.
The Rock Lighthouse: one of the most heroic feats of engineering in maritime history. Built to save the lives of thousands at sea drowned in epic storms. Rob Bell, Lighthouses: Building the Impossible s2e3: The Longstone
This is Northumberland, the north-east coast of England where lonely beaches look out on a constellation of rocky islands. ibid.
The proportions of these structures are just immense … This is the story of Britain’s North Sea oil rigs … A monumental piece of heavy engineering. Rob Bell, Building the Impossible s3e1: Oil Rig