A low three-arch masonry bridge crossing the River Clyde on the boundary between Glasgow City and South Lanarkshire, the Rutherglen Bridge (sometimes referred to as the Shawfield Bridge) connects Bridgeton and Dalmarnock to the north with Oatlands, Polmadie and Rutherglen in the south. Built 1893-96 in grey-granite by Morrison & Mason, the engineers were Crouch & Hogg of Glasgow. The piers are founded on steel caissons, which were sunk to the bedrock 18.2m (60 feet) below the river. This was achieved by men working around the clock to dig out the river-bed, while contained within a compressed air chamber, with light provided by candles.
This new bridge replaced a five-arch structure, built in 1774-75 by James Watt (1736 - 1819), later noted for his work on steam-engines, during his time as a civil engineer.
