Some great suggestions here.
Scar House reservoir up past Pateley Bridge has an impressive dam wall, great to look over when the water is overtopping. It fascinates me how they them back in the day. The story behind Scar House is also interesting, it was essentially a small village during construction and the remains can still be seen today.
One of our teams is currently working out how to remove and replace the valves in the bottom of the 50m deep valve towers. Proper engineering.
Double post. This bloody site
Bishop Rock lighthouse has always captivated me.
Not as grand as some structures being shared, but still an impressive sight a feat of engineering and building.
Portchester castle in Hampshire
Started out as a Roman fort in the 3rd century and has been in use and added to through the Saxon, Norman and Tudor times
Its the most complete Roman fort north of the Alps
The entire Elan Valley aqueduct. The dams themselves and the entire 73mile scheme to carry water to Birmingham. Colossal in its stature , brilliant in concept.
That's doing my head in. I'm not an engineer but wouldn't those buttresses prevent the walls from bowing inwards?
There are two more on the left and right of what you can see - a bit tricky to photograph, so the tower is supported on three sides. It may have started to bow inwards, I honestly can’t remember.
I've never made the pilgrimage to Swindon to ride on its hallowed dirt but I somehow imagined it to be a bit more woodsey. I assume the woodsey stuff is further on, beyond the chairlift up to the 2000m peak?
it's all happening again with pumped storage,
One interesting development is the use of dense fluids, lot more power for the same height difference or use it at smaller height differences where water wouldn't be viable.
Always had a soft spot for Clifton Suspension Bridge.
Incredible thing really when you think how it was built. The stonemasons courses or taster sessions are brilliant.
Local to me are the Tyne Bridge and of course Grainger Street.
rail viaducts are a good call too, Victorian rail structures are always impressive show how much there was invested to get rail links across the UK.
That's Grey Street of course - of which John Betjeman said: '"As for the curve of Grey Street, I shall never forget seeing it to perfection, traffic-less on a misty Sunday morning. Not even old Regent Street, London, can compare with that descending subtle curve,"
But I guess he wasn't up early enough to see the post Saturday night carnage and the many walks of shame...
Boring fact: It's curved because originally the buildings either side fronted the Lort Burn which is now culverted.
That's doing my head in. I'm not an engineer but wouldn't those buttresses prevent the walls from bowing inwards?
I think that's just use of English - they were bowing inwards into the building, but outwards when you think of them as walls. The buttresses seem to have two purposes, first to support the walls against the sideways pressure from the arcades in the transept, and secondly stabilise the walls against the weight of the tower above. Any arch needs to be held in at the base to stop it spreading, and the arcades being a series of arches, they each support the next one until they get to the end, where there was no sideways support. Then if the wall does bulge, the weight of the tower above is more likely to make it buckle. Plus, the tower had been damaged so the loads may not have been symmetrical.
it's all happening again with pumped storage,
One interesting development is the use of dense fluids, lot more power for the same height difference or use it at smaller height differences where water wouldn't be viable.
Always had a soft spot for Clifton Suspension Bridge.
Is this post specifically for @deadlydarcy? 😀
I get the love for the Falkirk Wheel, but the Caen Hill locks for me.
Cracking thread!
Incredible thing really when you think how it was built. The stonemasons courses or taster sessions are brilliant.
That's York. Like Lincoln it had spires at one point. Imagine how good that would have been!
Pretty much any Cathedral...staggering structures when you think about the times they were built in and the tech available at the time. Vast spaces inside, flying buttresses etc. Wonderful things.
I often wish UK structures would have a little more 'flair' about them....bridges etc, you see such structures all over Europe and they have a bit of something about them whereas most in the UK seem to be just built for purpose...it wouldn't take much more to make them actually look a little better.
More a class of building than one single structure, but
The Glasgow tenement. Form meets function in a way so relatable you almost miss it. Very human in the way it creates communities (not always happy ones of course) around a stairwell, with the enclosed yard. Engineered to provide circulating ventilation currents via tall sash windows to reduce damp - very necessary in Glasgow. A form of high density housing that done properly is difficult to better.
And they give the city it’s feel - the good ones look good too.
I often wish UK structures would have a little more 'flair' about them....bridges etc, you see such structures all over Europe and they have a bit of something about them whereas most in the UK seem to be just built for purpose...it wouldn't take much more to make them actually look a little better.
I'm not sure there are many countries building modern bridges with extra flair. All major bridges seem to be moving towards a fairly standard cable stay design. It is an elegant engineering solution that is very pleasing especially as they are often, by definition, in spectacular landscape.
Queensferry crossing
And Millau
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millau_Viaduct
Are a very similar design.
I often wish UK structures would have a little more 'flair' about them....bridges etc, you see such structures all over Europe and they have a bit of something about them whereas most in the UK seem to be just built for purpose...it wouldn't take much more to make them actually look a little better.
I'm not sure there are many countries building modern bridges with extra flair. All major bridges seem to be moving towards a fairly standard cable stay design. It is an elegant engineering solution that is very pleasing especially as they are often, by definition, in spectacular landscape.
There are dozens of bridges built year in year out, plenty I have seen in mainland Europe will just have a more visually appealing set of supports, or 'entrance'. I wasn't referring to the very few major crossings...but bridges.
We definitely have a good few bridges and viaducts/aquaducts here in the UK. Was also really impressed by the repurposing of Battersea Power Station when I visited, it's a properly cool place to visit.