THE HUMBER BRIDGE was constructed between 1973 and 1981. Sometime during that period, my wife was a trainee accountant. One of the assignments that she was sent on was to audit the Humber Bridge construction. She arrived at the site after the completion of the two towers from which the bridge was to be suspended, but long before the span traversing the water had begun to be built. The two towers were then only connected by a cable ropeway.
Being a conscientious auditor and of an adventurous frame of mind, she wanted to investigate the situation close-up. She managed to persuade site manager that to do her job properly, she needed to cross the water via the cradle that the workers used, which was suspended from the ropeway. Having done this, she included it in her audit. When her senior read the report, he looked at my wife and rolled his eyes incredulously.
MY WIFE WAS studying to become a chartered accountant in the mid-1970s. As a trainee, she was required to carry out audits for her company in many parts of the UK. One of these was the building site where the Humber Bridge, which crosses the River Humber and links north Lincolnshire with the East Riding of Yorkshire. The bridge has a long span suspended between two tall concrete towers. When my (then future) wife arrived to audit the accounts of the entity involved in the construction, the towers had already been erected but there was no span for carrying the roadway across the river. A precarious looking cradle, attached to cables suspended between the towers, was used to cross the river. Some of the construction workers used it to traverse the Humber.
Being a keen and extremely assiduous trainee accountant, my wife wanted to inspect the construction site in considerable detail. Respecting her desire to examine the site properly, the managers on the site ensured that this happened. After carrying out the audit, she returned to London satisfied and has always held a special affection for the then yet to be completed bridge.
It was only a few years after my wife qualified as a chartered accountant that the bridge was eventually opened for use in mid-1981. The bridge is 1.38 miles in length and is currently the world’s eleventh longest bridge of this design (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humber_Bridge). A small toll is payable to cross it, which is what we did while travelling from Yorkshire to Lincolnshire in September 2021. After driving across the elegant, impressive bridge, we drove through the small town of Barton-upon-Humber to reach a bridge viewing park. There, my wife and I enjoyed snacks whilst gazing at the bridge for which she still harbours a soft spot. There is no accounting for taste!
yamey 