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Gordon Goes Forth

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28/08/2017

BBC Radio 4 - Gordon Goes Forth

Gordon Brown shares the story of the three mighty bridges in whose shadow he lives.

Gordon Brown shares the story of the three bridges over the Forth in whose shadow he lives as the longest three-tower, cable-stayed bridge in the world opens in Scotland.

As the longest three-tower, cabled-stayed bridge in the world opens in Scotland, Gordon Brown shares the story of the three bridges over the Forth in whose shadow he lives.

Over the Forth river now stand three bridges spanning three centuries . First the famous rail bridge. Built in 1890, it remained the biggest and longest bridge in the world for a third of a century. Then in 1964 the Queen opened the road bridge, at the time the longest suspension bridge outside the USA. Now the elegant Queensferry Crossing takes us into the 21st century.

Striding out onto the new bridge, Gordon celebrates the engineering genius that created these magnificent structures. Setting forth on a boat to view the bridges from the water, he remembers the bravery of those who built them, shares his personal memories of the bridges, and explores how they have touched the lives of people in surrounding communities. Gazing out from his home in North Queensferry towards the iconic Forth rail bridge that has become such an integral part of Scottish culture, Gordon asks if the arrival of yet another world class bridge to the Forth will make the view he sees everyday a site unique in the world - The Three Bridges.


Photo courtesy of Finlay Wells.
Extract from Iain Banks The Bridge courtesy of Little, Brown Book Group.

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