The Victoria Bridge as seen from across the River Dee on the shores of Torry.

Victoria Bridge was erected following the Dee Ferry Boat Disaster, which claimed the lives of 32 people on 5 April 1876.

The ferry had for centuries took people from Pocra Quay, near Fittie, to Torry and back again.
The 5th April was a feastday so the ferry was particularly busy when it went down and 32 people lost their lives.

There had long been plans to build a bridge here but the Ferry Boat disaster was the final impetus needed for the project.

When the bridge opened finally in 1881 it enabled direct access for carriages from Torry into the heart of Abedeen via Market Street. The new bridge facilitated the rapid expansion that Torry would see in the following years.

By 1969 it was clear to Aberdeen Corporation that Victoria Bridge was no longer coping with the amount of traffic using it to cross the Dee.

A report in 1965 showed that traffic was 20% above the level for which the bridge had been designed.

This overload and the deteriorating state of The Wellington Suspension Bridge saw the opening of the nearby Queen Elizabeth II Bridge in 1981.

Location

Torry

Keyword

Bridges

Photographer