The Royal Albert Bridge is a railway bridge that connects Devon and Cornwall. I was commissioned to carry out the paint analysis in order to see how it been painted when Isambard Kingdom Brunel had built it in 1859. Prior to my epic sampling climb I was interviewed by the BBC on the bridge.
An earlier career as a miltary parachutist took some of the fear of having to walk across the bridge away. However, 185ft in pitch black on the night of October 1st 2009 is something that I will remember for a very long time!
Although it wouldn’t be quite true to say that ‘walking the tube’ was a ‘piece of cake’ an earlier generation seems to have been quite relaxed about it:
It was interesting to observe that the “Anti-Corrosive” paint that was originally applied was very similar to that employed on the iron framework of the Great Conservatory at Syon House.
A description of the project is given here – Part 1 and Part 2.
You can also see a slideshow of the project here:
The local BBC website announces the plan to go ahead with the repaint.
And finally…here is a rather charming view of the bridge by the naïve painter Alfred Wallis:
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Spectacular!
[...] As part of a recent restoration project, Patrick Baty of Papers and Paints in London was asked to make a paint analysis in order to ascertain the original colour of the Royal Albert Bridge. You can read more about this here: http://patrickbaty.co.uk/2010/11/25/royal-albert-bridge-cornwall/ [...]