IN October, 1954 Southampton’s new Northam Bridge was officially declared open by Hampshire’s Lord Lieutenant, the Duke of Wellington, just before this photograph was taken. To the left of the new structure, which had
taken more than two years to build, are the remains of the former bridge which were finally demolished by the end of 1954. At the top of the photograph, on the right, can clearly be seen the former Plaza cinema, while on the other side
of the road are the rooftops of Northam. The idea for a new Northam Bridge was first put forward in 1947 but the government did not give the go-ahead for its construction until the following year. “It was appreciated
that owing to financial difficulties and shortage of materials a scheme which required less steel should be found,” reported the Daily Echo at the time. “The scheme in prestressed concrete made an all-round economy in materials
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