To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Forth Road Bridge, Susie Cavill from Museums & Galleries Edinburgh joined a lively musical session with the Capital Carers Singing Group. Based at South Queensferry, Capital Careres is a dementia-friendly gathering facilitated by Rosie Moorhead and a team of musicians and volunteers. The singing group shared memories from the opening of the Road Bridge, looked at objects from our museum handling collection, explored growing up in Queensferry and found insights into how music can play a powerful role in connection and wellbeing.
The Forth Road Bridge opened on the 4th of September 1964. With its protective motto “Guid Passage” cheering travellers on, it is a significant part of Scotland’s landscape and of engineering history. Spanning 1006 metres between its two towers and stretching an impressive 2.5km in total, at the time of completion it was the longest suspension bridge outside of America. Its design nods to the suspension engineering of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, whilst having its own distinctive character.
For anyone in confusion about which bridge is which, here is a quick primer:
The Forth Bridge
The Forth Bridge was designed by Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker. It is the distinctive red cantilever railway bridge that flows across the Firth of Forth in red steel waves. This beauty was completed in 1890, has been voted Scotland's greatest man-made wonder and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is often unofficially referred to as the Forth Rail Bridge.
The Forth Road Bridge
The Forth Road Bridge is the suspension bridge which celebrates its 60th birthday on the 4th of September 2024. The design is reminiscent of the Golden Gate Bridge, but it has its own cool Scots elegance. It opened in 1964 and connects Edinburgh from South Queensferry to Fife, across the Firth of Forth at North Queensferry.
The Queensferry Crossing
The Queensferry Crossing is a three tower, cable-stayed bridge built in 2017 alongside the existing Forth Road Bridge and the Forth Bridge. It connects the M90 motorway across the Firth of Forth between Edinburgh, at South Queensferry and Fife, at North Queensferry.
The impact of the Forth Road Bridge on a generation
The Capital Carers South Queensferry Singing Group is a community initiative established in 2016. They have a well-established Singing Group for carers who are caring for someone living with dementia in South Queensferry and surrounding districts. It is also part of the South Queensferry Dementia Friendly Initiative. Led by Rosie Moorhead and Sue McPhail, the group meet twice a month to sing songs that resonate with their lives, from traditional Scottish Songs to popular hits that the group enjoy. The sessions also provide time for tea, conversation, companionship and creating a supportive atmosphere. There's space to relax, move to the music, relieve stress and above all else, smile.
To some members of this engaging musical group, The Forth Road Bridge isn’t just a structure they see when they walk around town - it’s part of their life stories. It’s impossible to not to see the bridges when you walk around South Queensferry. They rise from the Firth of Forth, larger than life, and together are an impressive presence that dominates the landscape. They serve as powerful symbols of human achievement, change and adventure, bridging one land with another. Anything is possible when a bridge can take you onward!
Music and Meaning
Whilst the Road Bridge is a powerful symbol of progress, its connection to personal histories and anniversary makes it a wonderful talking point for a traditional reminiscence session. The group’s guitarist, Isabel, found us a piece of music to listen to that, whilst inspired by the neighbouring Forth Rail Bridge, sparked curiosity and emotion. Listening to it got the group thinking of their own memories of the building and opening of the Road Bridge during their youth. The song is by Robin Laing and you can listen to it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p27WWe55vRM
Within moments of the song beginning we were all singing along, the words provided by Linda on the screen. The song tells a story of tough graft and of hardworking men of different communities coming together to build the “bridge between the darkness and the dawn.” It’s a fitting tribute to the people who built the seemingly impossible structures that still take your breath away when you stand looking out toward them. The sentiments are relevant to all the bridges, including the Road Bridge.
The song by Robin Laing, though written in 1994, provided a tangible connection to a moment that was lost in time - an older bridge, with the perils and victories inherent in the building. It also links to the newer bridge, one that the group in their youths had watched rise up proudly on the horizon. It will forever be part of their lives. It’s grown up with them. They’ve grown up with it.
During the session, the group played more songs, took a look at some artifacts in our Museums & Galleries Edinburgh handling box and laughed along with each other as they revealed their memories like little bits of treasure from the steel grey sea.
The protective effects of music as we age
The National Alliance for Museums, Health and Wellbeing and the British Association for Music Therapy support music-led initiatives with music therapists. This is because of the positive impact this work can have on Dementia, Neurodiversity, Active Ageing, Addiction Recovery and Mental Health. All of these areas can also be impacted by museum and heritage activities. Joining music and history together seems like a recipe for positive experiences. After our first successful session, we're working together with Capital Carers to develop more sessions and look forward to sharing more stories and experiences in future blogs.
You can view more images of the Forth Road Bridge in our new Capital Collections exhibition