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British Bridge Joins Great Wall Of China And Grand Canyon As World Heritage Site
The Forth Bridge is now the sixth World Heritage site in Scotland, alongside Edinburgh's Old and New Towns, the Heart of Neolithic Orkney, New Lanark, the Antonine Wall and St Kilda
Scotland’s Forth Bridge now sits alongside the ranks of the Grand Canyon and the Great Wall of China after it was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status.
The 125-year-old construction, which spans the Firth of Forth, is now the sixth World Heritage site in Scotland, alongside Edinburgh's Old and New Towns, the Heart of Neolithic Orkney, New Lanark, the Antonine Wall and St Kilda.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described the bridge, which took 4,500 men eight years to build, as a “monument to innovative industry and engineering”.
She added: "The Forth Bridge is an outstanding example of Scotland's built heritage and its endurance is testament not only to the ingenuity of those who designed and built it but also to the generations of painters, engineers and maintenance crews who have looked after it through the years.”
Britain now has a total of 24 World Heritage sites, including the city of Bath, Stonehenge and the Tower of London.
The decision to grant the bridge special status followed a meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Bonn.
The Committee described the construction as "innovative in style, materials and scale" and an important milestone in bridge design.
UK Heritage Minister Tracey Crouch said: "The Forth Bridge is an important part of Britain's shared national heritage, which is why the UK Government put it forward as our nomination for World Heritage Site status last year.”
World Heritage sites are listed as places that are of special cultural or physical significance.
There are a total of 1,007 sites around the world including the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Pyramids in Egypt and the Taj Mahal in India.
Other UNESCO World Heritage Sites In The UK:
Blaenavon Industrial Landscape (2000)
Blenheim Palace (1987)
Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey, and St Martin's Church (1988)
Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd (1986)
City of Bath (1987)
Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape (2006)
Derwent Valley Mills (2001)
Durham Castle and Cathedral (1986)
Frontiers of the Roman Empire (1987)
Heart of Neolithic Orkney (1999)
Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications, Bermuda (2000)
Ironbridge Gorge (1986)
Liverpool – Maritime Mercantile City (2004)
Maritime Greenwich (1997)
New Lanark (2001)
Old and New Towns of Edinburgh (1995)
You can see the full UK list here on UNESCO's site, as well as the global list.
