This bridge was designed by William Etheredge and built by James Essex in 1749. It has been rebuilt twice-1866 and1905-but it keeps the same overall design.
The title of "Mathematical Bridge" was also given to a former Cam bridge between Trinity College and Trinity College, which was also designed by James Essex and is now Garrett Dormitory Bridge.
There are several myths surrounding the construction of this bridge:
This bridge originated in China, and its design incorporates some special mathematical techniques, hence its name.
The bridge was designed and built by students. It is so perfect that the boards are placed on top of each other layer by layer and are fixed together by their weight and angle. The professors were so curious and awed by its architecture that they took it apart to see how it was built. They collapsed because they could no longer piece it together, so the bridge is now connected by nuts, bolts and screws.
The bridge was designed by isaac newton, but he didn't need bolts to fix the wood together-the story that members of the college dismantled it and couldn't reassemble it is also part of this version of the myth. This version is unlikely to be true, because Newton died in 1727, 22 years before the bridge was built.
Those who tell these myths rarely elaborate on what these mysterious mathematical techniques may be.
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This is another introduction.
The bridge was built by James Essex Jr. (1722- 1784) in 1749 according to the design of William Etheredge (1709- 1776). It was then rebuilt to the same design in 1866 and 1905.
The red brick building on the right is the presidential residence (ca 1460, the oldest building on the Cambridge River). On the far right is Essex Building (1756-60). Behind the tree on the left is Cripps Court (1974).
For those who are deceived by the unfounded stories told by unscrupulous tour guides to credulous tourists, it is necessary to point out that isaac newton died in 1727 (biography), so it is impossible to have anything to do with this bridge. Considering the size and weight of the wooden components of the bridge, anyone who thinks that students or companions can dismantle the bridge (and then not reassemble it as legendary) can't seriously understand the reality. The joints of this bridge are fixed with nuts and bolts. Early versions of the bridge used iron pins or screws at the joints, which were driven from the external elevation. Only a nerd would claim that the bridge was originally built without nails. Other unfounded stories are that Ethrich was a student and/or visited China.
http://www.queens.cam.ac.uk/queens/images/WinBridg.html
Here are some more.