Forth Bridges

This page will feature cards of the iconic Forth Bridge and the other bridges over the Forth. The Forth Bridge is a cantilever railway bridge across the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland, 9 miles (14 kilometres) west of central Edinburgh. Completed in 1890, it is considered a symbol of Scotland,having been voted Scotland’s greatest man-made wonder in 2016, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was designed by English engineers Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker. It is sometimes referred to as the Forth Rail Bridge to distinguish it from the adjacent Forth Road Bridge, although this is not its official name.

Often photographs of the bridge are unattributable. We are pleased to acknowledge this lovely image by Dunfermline photographer Roy Smith.

Forth Bridge

The original paint colour was Forth Bridge Oxide of Iron. The Bridge was extensively restored in the period to 9 December 2011 when 240,000 litres (52,793 gallons) of Transgard TG168, better known as Forth Bridge Red, was used on a painting area of 255,000 square metres (2,744,793 square feet).

Source: Forth Bridge; Restoring an Icon (2012 Lily Publications Ltd for Network Rail and Balfour Beatty)

This addressee: Coverdale Cottage, Kings Road, Richmond, Surrey is a 3 bedroom semi-detached house spread over 1,109 square feet, making it a common sized property in the area – it is ranked as the 20th most expensive property in TW10 6EG, with a valuation of £1,037,000 in November 2025.

Forth Road Bridge

This photograph of the display model of the Forth Road Bridge is fully annotated with useful information. The bridge opened in 1964 and at the time was the longest suspension bridge in the world outside the United States.

Now there are two bridges

NATURAL COLOUR PHOTOGRAVURE

J. Arthur Dixon

KING SIZE POSTAL PRINT

SCOTLAND : The Forth Bridges from South Queensferry, West Lothian. With the erection of the new Forth Road Bridge, opened 1964, the view above South Queensferry shows two of the most remarkable bridges in the world. Although contrasted in design, each is a fine example of combining strength with grace.

A Natural Colour Photograph

• LETTER RATE *Providing the space for correspondence is completed with not more than five words of conventional greeting and sender’s signature, this card may be posted at printed paper rate.
• Printed and Published by J. Arthur Dixon Ltd., Inverness, Scotland

J. Arthur Dixon Limited was a major greetings and postcard company of the Isle of Wight between 1926 and 2000. In 1956 they expanded with the opening of a 10,000 square feet of factory space at Longman, Inverness, a factory capable of turning out 35,000 postcards a day in three-colour gravure.

At 8⅜ by 5¾ inches, this card was too big to be sent as a postcard under the 1957 Universal Postal Convention but that treaty preserved a rate for printed papers lower than the letter rate. Article 134 of the Convention defined printed papers to include photographs on cardboard and Article 136 paragraph 2(e) permitted on illustrated cards, on printed visiting cards and on Christmas and New Year cards: good wishes, greetings, congratulations, thanks, condolences or other formulas of courtesy expressed in five words or five conventional initials at the most.

Source: Wootton Bridge Historical