From Richard Holroyd
Cambridge
The photo accompanying Bill Addis’s review of Building the Nineteenth
Century is indeed the present Britannia Bridge (Review, 23 November, p 44).
However, surely it would be inappropriate for the book in question since
Stephenson’s masterpiece was destroyed by fire in 1970 and it is that old bridge
which is relevant to the theme of the book. The new bridge uses the original
piers and a section of the old tubes salvaged from the wreckage stands near one
of its abutments.
This is correct. We chose a picture of the modern bridge to illustrate our
review—Ed
