Britannia Tubular Bridge during its construction, Wales, May 1849.

Coloured lithograph by George Hawkins (1819-1852), showing a view of the construction of the Britannia Tubular Bridge over the Menai Straits. The Britannia Tubular Bridge was designed by Robert Stephenson (1803-1859) and was completed in 1850. It was constructed to provide trains of the Chester and Holyhead Railway with a passageway across the Menai Straits from mainland Wales to Anglesey. The railway terminated at Holyhead, which became a major port for travellers to Ireland.