A scaffolding structure resembling a massive Meccano model has been erected over the Bourne Eau in Eastgate to provide a crossing for pedestrians, part of the reconstruction of the Queen’s Bridge which began this summer.

The task appeared to have been a simple one but looks more complicated with each passing week and is now unlikely to be finished much before Christmas.

The date of the original bridge is uncertain although the name suggests that it marks an important occasion connected with Queen Victoria and as records show that it existed in 1856, this rules out her Golden and Diamond Jubilees and so it may have been built as a commemoration of her accession or wedding in 1837-38.

The cost of the replacement has not yet been announced by Lincolnshire County Council but it looks like being a hefty bill.

WRITTEN SEPTEMBER 2013