South Portland St Suspension Bridge

The South Portland Street Suspension Bridge hangs between the banks of the River Clyde on four massive, cast-iron towers shaped like Egyptian obelisks. It opened in eighteen fifty-three to carry pedestrians from the busy streets of the Gorbals into the city center. When the bridge first spanned the water, locals paid a halfpenny toll to cross the iron mesh deck. Toll collector James Brown spent his days in a small booth at the northern end, keeping track of every single person who passed.