A PLAQUE has been unveiled in Glasgow to honour a civil engineer who built three of the most famous bridges in the world.

Sir William Arrol (1839-1913) was responsible for the Forth Rail Bridge, the Tay Rail Bridge and London's iconic Tower Bridge.

But he also built countless other bridges, including Great Western Bridge, over the River Kelvin.

The Institution of Civil Engineers has now unveiled an iron plaque on the A-listed West End bridge to mark the 100th anniversary of the engineer's death.

The event was attended by William Campbell Arrol, a great grand-nephew of Sir William.

He said: "On behalf of the Arrol family, I am very pleased Sir William has been recognised with this plaque and it is appropriate it is placed on a Glasgow bridge.

"He was brought up in the Glasgow area and established his steel fabrication works in Dalmarnock in 1870,

"With his two brothers and a brother-in- law, the firm grew quickly and became a world leader in the construction of steel bridges, buildings and cranes.

"The family connection continued until the closure of the works in 1986."

Alistair Watson, Glasgow City Council's executive spokesman for land and the environment, said: "The Great Western Bridge is the ideal place to honour the memory and achievements of one of the pivotal engineers in the country's history.

"There are many impressive structures across Glasgow but this bridge is synonymous with the West End and wonderfully showcases the extent of William Arrol's craft".

Arrol also built the 150ft tall Titan Crane at Clydebank, which was presented with its own award earlier this year.

It joined icons such as the Eiffel Tower and the Thames Tunnel to become an International Historic Civil and Mechanical Engineering Landmark.

vivienne.nicoll@ eveningtimes.co.uk