← Oudtshoorn Heritage Walk · Baron van Reede Street
6

Suspension Bridge

Address
Church Street
Date
1914
Walk
Baron van Reede Street
Photographs
1
The single 91-metre span across the Grobbelaars River

From the heritage walk's own records for this marker

Just down Church Street you will find the Suspension Bridge. Oudtshoorn is situated on both sides of the Grobbelaars River. When the river came down in flood, it caused problems. In 1913 the town council approved the move to erect a suspension bridge in Church Street, opposite the town centre.

The elegant bridge was manufactured by a Scottish company Rowley & Sons according to plans from a firm of engineers in London, Hitchers & Booth. In 1914 it was erected by a local contractor, Mr F. Helfritz. The suspension bridge consists of a single span of 91m with an arch in the middle. The two ends are finished off with 9 metre high towers, made of trellised steel.

The view north from the centre of the bridge is a photographer’s dream, especially when the Swartberg Mountains are covered in snow.