The bridges over York's two rivers are enduring landmarks of the city.

Photographs reproduced courtesy of www.imagineyork.co.uk, a Lottery-funded project based at York Reference Library

Copies of published pictures can by obtained from Anne Wood or Helene Brown from our photosales department, on (01904) 567135, or via photosales@ycp.co.uk

Foss Bridge is shown here from the "new" Piccadilly Bridge in 1912. The warehouse on the left is William Henry White and Son Eagle Tea Warehouse on Fossgate. The business can be traced back to about 1854 and was York's oldest grocer-cum- postmaster. It was gone by 1920. The ornate Foss Bridge, the last of several on this site, dates from 1812 and is by Peter Atkinson Jnr

Traffic is seen travelling over Ouse bridge in the early part of the 20th century.

Work began on Ouse Bridge in 1810 and was finally completed in 1820. It was built to replace a Tudor construction and, until Lendal Bridge was built in 1863, it was the only structural link between the north and south banks of the Ouse. This "modern" construction was built alongside the Tudor version. A record in 1376 states that there were 36 shops and five tenements on the bridge, and one house "overhanging the river". This medieval bridge collapsed in the 16th century. The tudor replacement included the couple of surviving houses and a chapel with the city clock on top

Scarborough Railway Bridge was the second over the Ouse. It was opened in 1845 and predates both Lendal and Skeldergate Bridges. It originally had a public footpath between the two railway tracks which was reached by stairs inside each abutment. The structure of the bridge was renewed in 1875 in readiness for the new station - the track was lifted by four feet and the public footpath removed to the south side which is where it remains. The original stairs were bricked up, as was the righthand arch - clearly seen in this 1912 photograph.

The first bridge over "Browney Dyke" on the River Foss was built in 1738 and consisted of a wooden drawbridge which was painted blue and established the name for all its successors. It was taken down in 1768 and replaced with a stone bridge which was, in turn, replaced by a wooden swivel bridge in 1801 at the completion of the Foss Navigation. The "Blue Bridge" pictured here, in about 1895, was built in 1857. Two guns were taken from the Russians at Sebastapol and presented to the corporation. These were mounted on stone plinths either side of the bridge on November 5, 1858. The guns were removed in 1941 as scrap metal for the war. The fifth, and present bridge, was built in 1929.

Updated: 09:26 Monday, July 12, 2004