Bridging the Gap Trivia Quiz

Answer: Devon and Cornwall

To the left of the photo is the railway bridge, called the Royal Albert Bridge, and opened in 1859. The official ceremony was conducted by Prince Albert himself. Behind it is the road bridge, known as the Tamar Bridge, and originally dating from 1962 - it was widened in 2001. It crosses the Tamar River from Plymouth, in Devon, to Saltash in Cornwall.

Answer: Forth

The bridge was designed by Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker, with the official opening ceremony carried out by the future King Edward VII, still Prince of Wales at the time. Its official name is the Forth Bridge, with a newer bridge (not pictured), from 1964, being called the Forth Road Bridge.

The maintenance of the Forth Bridge has become entrenched in British lore as being a task which never ends - as soon as you finish painting the bridge, you have to go back to where you began and start the job again.

Answer: Monmouth

This lovely bridge crosses the River Monnow and is the only one still to have its original gate tower. It is believed to date from the late thirteenth century and is a listed structure, which gives it legal protection from demolition or unauthorised alteration. Until 2004, road traffic drove through the archway - I've driven under it many times myself - but a new bridge across the river was opened that year and the original bridge is now pedestrianised.

Of the other options, Rhyl is in north Wales, Aberystwyth is in west Wales and Ross-on-Wye is not in Wales at all, but nine miles away from Monmouth in England.

Answer: Iron Bridge

The bridge was proposed by architect Thomas Pritchard in 1773, with the use of cast iron as its material - something which had not previously been attempted. Parliamentary permission was eventually obtained in 1776 and work began the following year. Pritchard did not live to see his bridge, as he died only a month after the work commenced.

The project ran way over budget but since tolls were charged for its use, it did not take long for the costs to be recouped and profits to be made. The bridge is a listed structure, having survived a proposed demolition in the 1950s.

Answer: Isambard Kingdom Brunel

This is the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge, in Bristol, so if you knew the River Avon ran there you may have remembered Brunel's connections to the city. The bridge was opened in 1864, with the final design being prepared by William Barlow and John Hawkshaw, using Brunel's original plans as its basis. Tolls have to be paid to use the bridge, which help cover its maintenance costs.

Brunel also designed the SS Great Britain, on display in Bristol Docks since the 1970s.

Answer: Middlesbrough

Dating from 1911, the bridge is also known as the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge, although locals refer to it as 'The Transporter'. It does not carry traffic in the normal way - if you look closely at the picture (you can enlarge it) you will see a gondola suspended underneath it in which passengers, including vehicles, are transferred across the River Tees in a journey taking less than two minutes. No doubt, queuing to get on and off the carriage adds considerably to the crossing time.

Answer: Bascule

The photo is, of course, of Tower Bridge on the River Thames in London, which dates from 1894, when it was officially opened by the then Prince of Wales, later to become King Edward VII. It seems he was in demand for the role of bridge opening.

The design is a bascule bridge, deriving from the French word for a balance scale. Both parts of the bridge can be raised to allow access to river traffic.

As with many of the bridges covered in the quiz, Tower Bridge is a Grade One listed building.

Answer: Humber

The Humber itself is not officially a river, although it is sometimes shown as one, with the estuary being formed by the rivers Ouse and Trent. The bridge was originally planned as far back as the 1930s, but was not authorised by Parliament until the 1960s with work commencing in 1972.

The official opening was carried out by Queen Elizabeth II. The bridge held the title quoted in the question until 1998.

Answer: Skye

The Skye Bridge crosses Loch Alsh, linking Skye to the island of Eilean Ban and from there to the mainland of Scotland. Prior to its opening, traffic to Skye was via a ferry service, now discontinued, running from Kyle of Lochalsh. The hint in the question was a reference to 'The Skye Boat Song', which begins 'Speed bonnie boat like a bird on the wing' and tells the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie's escape after the Battle of Culloden.

Answer: Menai Bridge

The bridge was designed by Thomas Telford and crosses the Menai Strait, which had previously been served by a ferry. Work began in 1819 and was completed in 1826. The bridge crosses from Bangor on the mainland to a town now often referred to as Menai Bridge, but originally called, and with the Welsh name of, Porthaethwy.

The Welsh name is Pont Grog y Borth, with pont meaning bridge and y Borth being the local name for the Porthaethwy. A second bridge across the strait, the Britannia Bridge, opened in 1850.