Toby Symonds

I MUST say, I suspect that I would be rather offended if I were among the gathering in the centre of this photo to discover that the gentleman to my left found a gas canister more enlightening conversation than myself. Mind you, perhaps being one of only two hatless members of a party was quite an isolating experience in 1937.

This is a snap of the then newly constructed railway bridge near Glasgow’s Anniesland Cross, built to coincide with the needs of a widened Great Western Road. On the right of the image, and certainly looking a tad past best, is the old bridge, with our photographer witness to the moment of transition.

It would be easy to confuse this image for a shot of New York from around the same time. In the hazy background, silhouettes of buildings that could be budding 1930s skyscrapers can be identified whilst there’s something very Manhattan about the scene. Our clue to the contrary – other than the verso attribution – is the presence of a telegraph pole to the right, which reminds that this is a road bridge and not a suspension across the Hudson.

A designated B-listed structure in its own right, the bow string, single warren steel girder railway bridge is not to be sniffed at. A landmark of The Big Tattie – as Glasgow is not, and has never been, known – this one’s more than a match for anything in The Big Apple.