At the Elgin Bridge
Enjoying the breeze A bridge still stands on the site where the first bridge across Singapore River was built by Lieutenant P. Jackson in 1819 when Stamford Raffles first arrived in Singapore. Named as the Presentment Bridge in 1822, it was also known to the people as Jackson Bridge. Back then, the bridge was the only mode and tool of crossing the Singapore River. As its narrowness limited the amount of people crossing the river, it was later replaced by a wooden footbridge in 1843.
In 1862, the bridge was demolished and rebuilt as an iron bridge with concrete form. It was named after Lord Elgin, the Governor General of India (1862 - 1863). One amazing thing about the bridge was that it was built in less than a day. The present structure was built in 1926 to replace the iron bridge. The famous Italian sculptor, Cavalari Rudolfo Nolli, designed the cast-iron lamps on both sides of the bridge with his signature inscribed beneath.
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