Born in 1840, Benjamin Baker left Frome at the age of 16 to start a two-year apprenticeship at Messrs Price and Fox at the Neath Abbey Iron Works.

As a qualified engineer, Baker helped develop the early stages of London’s Metropolitan Line. He introduced a method of using cast iron segments to create deep tubular tunnels under the city.

His finest achievement remains the Forth Bridge, which connects Edinburgh with Fife across the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland.

The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, opened the bridge by banging in a gold-plated rivet, the last of eight million rivets that still hold the bridge steadfast today.

Baker designed the cantilever railway bridge in steel rather than cast iron, using more than 55,000 tons of hollow steel tubes to provide greater tensile strength.

Of the 4,600 workers who built the bridge, 98 lost their lives, though boats positioned under the bridge rescued eight workers, who fell off the bridge during construction.

Baker worked as a consulting engineer on the Aswan Dam in Egypt, and attended the opening in 1902.

Many know the bridge from the phrase ‘like painting the Forth Bridge’ to suggest a never-ending task. Today, the bridge takes ten years to paint and the paint lasts 25 years.

In the picture below, from left to right:

Back row, John Cervenka and Diane Rouse from Frome Museum, Frome College design and technology teacher Jeremy Stannet, Rook Lane Arts Trust administrator Jo Plimmer, Frome College head of maths Chris Curtis, Judith Westcott from Frome Community Learning Partnership, Bridging the World’s photographic curator Mike Gray, Frome College vice principal Bruce Hain, Frome Festival chairman Bob Morris, Richard Paige and Giles Vallis, directors of NVB Architects, Emma Haines of NVB Architects and Rook Lane Arts Trust chairman Pam Lea.

Front row, Bridging the World project co-ordinator Sue Bicklow, Bee Bucklow, seven, and Bridging the World engineering and education co-ordinator Pippa Goldfinger.