The Mathematical Bridge

The original Mathematical Bridge, in Cambridge, was the most famous work of the engineer and architect William Etheridge (1708–76), who also designed other bridges of similar construction. It connects two parts of Queens' College, on either side of the River Cam. Although it forms an arch, it's built entirely of straight timbers.

The bridge was built originally in 1749, and rebuilt in 1866 and 1905. A smaller replica of it was built in 1923 to span the River Thames on the southern outskirts of Oxford, near Iffley Locks (not far from Iffley Road Sports Ground, which is where Roger Bannister ran the first four–minute mile in 1954).

From a quizzing point of view, it might be considered a shame that Oxford has a replica of Cambridge's most famous bridge, and that the replica has the same name as the original. This means that "Oxford" had to be allowed as an alternative answer to this question, and anyone who wasn't sure which of England's two most famous university cities to give as an answer was able to get away with either. It might have been better if the question had asked in which city the original Mathematical Bridge was built in 1749.

© Macclesfield Quiz League 2019