1-151-903 - Ann Ronan Picture Library/Heritage-Images

Britannia Tubular Bridge over the Menai Straits, Wales, c 1850-c1852. The Britannia Tubular Bridge was designed by Robert Stephenson (1803-1859). Construction began in 1846 and the bridge was opened on 18 March 1850. It was constructed to provide trains of the Chester and Holyhead Railway with a passageway across the Menai Straits from mainland Wales to Anglesey. The railway terminated at Holyhead, which became a major port for travellers to Ireland. The Menai Suspension Bridge, a road bridge designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826, can be seen in the distance.