Vincent County Council
Location #155. The MacAndrew Bridge.
Group Number 1

Group Members

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No Last Name First Names Maiden Name Relationship Occupation Born Died School Year

Notes

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Note Date Short Description Note Text
2131 1896 Construction Details

The MacAndrew Bridge appears to be a reconstructed version of the Kawarau Bridge (for details of that bridge see location #153). A suspension dridge with 16 x one and a half inch (38mm) diameter wire rope cables, attached to one inch (25.4mm) diameter iron hangers which supported the iron truss superstructure and the deck beams, with a timber deck. The bridge had a span of 141 feet (42.9m), a deck width of 14 foot (4.3m) and was supported on two pairs of cut stone piers. Two of the original piers have been relocated on the corner of Cairnmuir and Bannockburn Roads and now form the supports for a sign welcoming visitors to Bannockburn (see location #514).

2132 1896 Notes on the design.

After the disasterous fire on the Kawarau Bridge (location #152) in January of 1896, the Vincent County Council had to act quickly to reconstruct a bridge at Bannockburn to restore communications. It appears that the county engineer, Mr Leslie Duncan MacGeorge designed a new bridge that could utilise many of the undamaged components of the old Kawarau Company's bridge which had escaped the fire.

2133 1896 Construction of the bridge.

In April, a contract was awarded to James Fowler of Mosgiel and his foundary and engineering company. The contract included the supply, fabrication and installation of the steelwork for the rebuilt Bannockburn Bridge. The iron was imported from Europe and then had to be inspected by the Public Works Department. This caused some delays, however the steelwork sections were then fabricated in Mosgiel and transported by train then wagon to Bannockburn. Jams Fowler moved to Bannockburn to supervise the work, and lived in dwelling #29.

2134 1897 Opening of the MacAndrew Bridge

On July 9 1897 the rebuilt Kawarau Bridge was officially reopened and renamed the MacAndrew Bridge after James MacAndrew, the Minister of Public Works in Dunedin. A deputation from the area had met with him to ask for his help in rebuilding local bridges after the 1878 flood. He had been instrumental in obtaining a £15,000 interest free loan from the government to rebuild the damaged bridges, including the Kawarau River bridge. The loan had also allowed for an immediate grant of £5,000 to begin the reconstruction work after the 1896 fire. The opening ceremony was attended by 1,200 visitors who traveled from Cromwell in 100 horse drawn vehicles. They were led by a Cobb & Co coach drawn by six bays and driven by coachman Adam McDonald. The coach carried the County Chairman, Mr R Shepherd and Councillors. The Chairman drove the coach for the final part of the journey. The opening ceremony consisted of a ceremonial procession across the bridge. A banquet with champagne and many speeches followed. Great credit was given to the member for Kawarau Riding, Mr William Parcell (1) who was chiefly responsible for the bridge reconstruction. A concert to mark the occasion was held in the Jubilee Hall in the evening. The hall was packed to capacity and struggled to cope with the large crowd attending.

2135 1930 Car versus horse accident on the bridge.

Mr John Scobie Ritchie of Cromwell was riding his horse across the MacAndrew Bridge when a car came down the hill in the opposite direction. There was not enough room for both the vehicle and the horse, so the horse tried to jump the car. Jack was thrown off, and the horse then landed on his back. With only cuts and bruises, Jack was taken to his home in Cromwell. He carried the horseshoe imprint on his back to his grave. (There was no mention of the fate of the horse).

2136 1964 The MacAndrew Bridge was replaced by a new steel and concrete bridge.

The MacAndrew Bridge served as the main communication link to Bannockburn until it was replaced by a new steel and concrete bridge in 1964. (see location #151)

2137 1965 Demolishion of the MacAndrew Bridge.

In March of 1965 a contract was awarded to a local Cromwell contractor to demolish the MacAndrew Bridge.

2138 1986 The only remaining parts of the old bridge were the piers.

The only parts of the MacAndrew Bridge that remained were the piers. These were soon to be demolished to make way for the Lake Dunstan lake shore requirements. The Bannockburn Recreational Reserve Committee and a number of local Bannockburn residents approached the Vincent County Council to see if they could save the piers. The group wanted to build an historically based 'Welcome' sign supported by two of the piers and the Cairnmuir / Bannockburn Road intersection. See location #514.


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Image Id Source Date Short Description