India, Oct. 12 -- Sa'adat Ali Khan, the sixth Nawab Wazir of Awadh, extended a request to the East India Company at Calcutta for assistance in the construction of a modern bridge over the Gomti River. This ambitious endeavour aimed to establish a vital connection between the Madiaon military cantonment - then situated on the far fringes of Lucknow - and the city proper. In the year 1810, Captain Duncan McLeod of the Bengal Engineers was entrusted with the critical responsibility to survey the 'Goomty River' and assess the feasibility of erecting an iron bridge across its expanse. In the execution of this duty, he 'received the strongest expressions of the approbation of the Vizier of Oude, and at the earnest solicitation of the Vizier, who desired the further aid of Captain Macleod's professional knowledge, not only in superintending the construction of the iron bridge over the Goomty but also in the execution of some other works of importance.' Thus, McLeod was later responsible for designing the Khurshid Manzil or 'House of Sun' in Lucknow, which currently houses the La Martiniere Girls' College. Lucknow's Iron Bridge was designed by John Rennie in London - being quite similar to the one over river Witham, in Boston (Lincolnshire). London's famous Waterloo Bridge was a contemporary of Lucknow's Iron Bridge, both being designed by Rennie almost simultaneously. Interestingly, the Lucknow Bridge predated Waterloo Bridge by a year. As a civil engineer, Rennie took care of the architectural aspects, but the final design was the result of inputs from several people, including McLeod. Changes on the details of the connections of the arch ribs were also suggested by the contractor, the Butterley Company of Ripley, Derbyshire, UK (present-day Jessop & Co, Kolkata), and the final ornamentation was by William Daniell, who recorded civil engineering works in Britain at that time. More than 2,500 iron pieces were cast by the Butterley Ironworks between 1812-1814 and its sections finally arrived at Calcutta port in 1816 from port of Hull in England. At that time, only the ports at Hull and Liverpool were considered suitable for dispatch of goods to 'the east Indies'. Apparently the cost of the bridge was £22771.00, but this figure has not been substantiated. Old shipping records indicate that the iron sections were loaded onto 2 cargo ships, and at least one of the ships was named 'The Elizabeth.' An intriguing series of events regarding the arrival of the bridge sections to Lucknow occurred as follows: Henry Jessop arrived at Cawnpore from Calcutta, accompanied by two fitters, Trickett and Burton, along with 2,560 ornate cast iron pieces of the bridge (including 11 pieces that were damaged during transit) to meet the transport arranged by Sa'adat Ali Khan for carrying the components to Lucknow. However, by this time, the ruling Nawab, who was known to be frugal in money matters had reconsidered his decision. He believed they could postpone the transportation until the rainy season and utilize river transport, which would be a more economical choice. In an effort to reduce expenses, the Nawab also thought it would be more cost-effective to have his own workers assemble the bridge rather than hiring the English team for the task. Butterley had to 'remind' him that assembling the bridge's component parts required specialised skills and that they had a contractual agreement. Ultimately, the bridge was transported to Lucknow, but by this time, the Nawab had passed away, and the British team had to return to England, leaving their mission incomplete. Sa'adat Ali's successor, Ghazi-ud-Din Haider, opposed the entire project, as the bridge would create a direct link between the Madiaon cantonment and the city, which the new Nawab did not desire. Officials of the East India Company made attempts to persuade successive Nawabs to commission the bridge in 1823 and again in 1828. The sections of the bridge lay on the banks of the river in their original packing, for three decades, when finally, in 1845, it was erected by Col. Fraser of Bengal Engineers during the reign of Amjad Ali Shah, the father of Wajid Ali Shah. This graceful structure consisted of three cast-iron arches supported on piers and abutments of brick masonry - the centre arch having a span of 90 and a rise of 7 feet, while the two side arches had a span of 80 feet, and a rise of 6 feet. This was the first iron bridge of India, which was followed by the Howrah Bridge, near Calcutta, in 1943 - almost a century later. The bridge saw heavy action during 1857 and remained in use for another century. It was however dismantled after its approach from the right bank of the river was seriously damaged, as an aftermath of the 1960 floods in Lucknow. Subsequently, the current masonry bridge at Daliganj replaced the earlier Rennie's Bridge at the same spot. Records of the disposal of the dismantled iron superstructure are not available. In all probability, it might have been auctioned off as scrap, without a thought about its heritage value and historical significance. The writer, a former scientist, has authored several books on the forgotten heritage of Lucknow...