Our Forth Bridge: Made From Girders

By Barbara Henderson and Alan McCredie

The artist, the Blue Badge tour guide, the construction superintendent – join writer Barbara Henderson and photographer Alan McCredie for an A-Z glimpse behind the scenes at Scotland's iconic Forth Bridge. 
Packed with stories and anecdotes, meet the people whose lives are inextricably welded to the famous red girders: enthusiasts, professionals, residents, researchers, souvenir sellers, lifeboat crew, train drivers, writers and volunteers, all accompanied by images from the acclaimed photographer Alan McCredie.
Whilst there are several photographic books on the Forth Bridge they mainly have an emphasis on the structure itself, not the people here and now. Made from Girders seeks to give a real sense of what the bridge means to people.
This book will be of interest to people from the area or who have connections to the Forth Rail Bridge, as well as tourists visiting the area.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Luath Press
• Release date: Sep 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9781804251287

Barbara Henderson

BARBARA HENDERSON is an Inverness-based children’s writer and Drama teacher. Her energetic school visits take her across the length and breadth of Scotland, and sometimes beyond. As a teacher, she loves to get young people on their feet as they respond to stories. ‘Writing is like magic,’ she says. ‘I see something in my imagination, and I try to capture it by writing it down – nothing more than black marks on white paper. Much later, young people see these black marks on white paper and suddenly they see something too, feel something of their own. I cannot think of anything more special than that.’ Scottish by Inclination is Barbara’s first foray into adult non-fiction. She shares her home with her teenage son, her long-suffering husband and a scruffy Schnauzer called Merry.

Book preview

ARTIST

Gordon Muir

‘I’M AN ARTIST. With a small ‘a’ that is,’ Gordon Muir begins with a grin. As the designer and sculptor of the memorials to those who died during the Forth Bridge construction, his life and work are closely intertwined with the girders of the iconic bridge. Despite this, he is not easily defined, a wiry mixture of irreverence and intensity. ‘If you’re an artist, you can apply that to any discipline really,’ he finishes.

Having spent the last hour in the presence of the raconteur, I can definitely see what he means. Raised in the Borders town of Hawick, at the time the epicentre of the cashmere industry, he departed for art school in London and soon shifted his focus from Fine Art to Graphic Design. Following his degree, he embarked on a world tour, learning from artists around the globe. ‘Wood block and paper making in Japan, lithography in the States – I should have kept travelling really. I returned to Scotland to begin work, but I was far too young. Through a friend, I became involved in the music industry and ended up managing a band from Zimbabwe called the Bhundu Boys.’ Under Gordon’s direction, the musicians enjoyed considerable touring success, including supporting Madonna at Wembley in 1987. Eventually, Muir moved back to the South Queensferry area, where he has been based for 25 years, to work with friend and landscape architect Paul Hogarth. ‘If you live in Queensferry, you live and breathe the bridge, you can’t help that. For me, the Forth Bridge is such a huge metaphor for connecting people. It’s what happened for me!’

Being steeped in Zimbabwean music and the Bhundu Boys’ distinctive Jit style, Gordon’s teenage son formed a band with friends: Bwani Junction. ‘One of my most memorable Forth Bridge memories is of standing on top of the North Tower at 8am. The clouds were just dissolving beneath us, and my son and his band were playing happy birthday for me. It was the awesomeness of the spectacle, but also a family thing at the same time. At the time there was only a rickety old lift to take you up there, you know!’

Gordon’s work as an artist has touched on the Forth Bridge in several ways over the years. ‘I collaborated on some of the signage around South Queensferry, for a start. Then I did some work on the iconic human cantilever picture, creating a sculpture which was going to be turned into a full-size bronze – so far, it hasn’t come to anything! I was also one of the first people to don a headset for the Virtual Reality 3D experience – in a small room in Stirling, where I walked around the girders of the Forth Bridge, virtually.’ He hesitates, before adding: ‘I fell off