The man behind the eloquent Loch Bridge

The Loch Bridge across the Kraai River near Barkly East in the Eastern Cape was designed by British-born engineer Joseph Newey, and opened to traffic in 1893. Mike Burgess writes about the life and times of this immensely energetic member of the Cape Colony's Public Works Department.

- Mike Burgess

Six months before the official opening of the 640ft-long (about 200m) sandstone-arched Loch Bridge, Joseph Newey had been promoted to chief inspector of the Public Works Department of the Cape Colony.

It had taken him 20 years of dedication to the craft of bridge building to eventually be considered for one of the department's top positions.

The one-lane Loch Bridge is considered by many to be the very best bridge Newey ever designed, not only in terms of its aesthetics, but also because it is still in service more than 130 years after completion.

The Loch Bridge boasts five elliptical sandstone arches and required 24 stone masons, three carpenters, and 450 African workers to complete over a period of three years.

The official opening of the bridge in 1893 was attended by more than 1 000 people, who enjoyed an accompanying fair and sports day while a band is said to have given a particularly good rendition of 'God Save The Queen'.

'BLACK COUNTRY' TO CAPE COLONY
Born in 1846 in London, Newey was raised in the industrialised West Midlands of England. The region was defined by rampant coal mining, factory furnaces and iron and steel works, and was referred to by many simply as the 'Black Country'.