More than 600 students from 10 local schools have received hands-on lessons from our world-leading Hammersmith Bridge engineers.
Pupils from St Peter's CE and St Paul's CE primary schools in Hammersmith are the latest to participate in our engineering training. The Year 5s took on the role of engineers, constructing and crossing a 13-meter bridge. They also tried to build the strongest miniature bridge using construction toys.
Getting our youngest residents excited about science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) is a crucial part of H&F’s pioneering Industrial Strategy and building a borough that's ready for tomorrow.
Since 2022, our Hammersmith Bridge education programme has inspired students across the borough from Year 2 to university level.
Building bridges
Students donned safety gear and worked in teams to assemble a 13-meter bridge. Each child tested the structure by walking across it.
Susannah, 10, from St Peter’s said: “I learned about construction. My favourite part was walking on the bridge we made. I loved everything!”
Pupils then built model bridges using Lego-like pieces, competing to design the structure that could support the heaviest weight.
“My team’s bridge held 12.5kg,” explained Georgie, 10, from St Peter’s. During their hands-on STEM lesson, the St Peter’s students even got to visit 137-year-old Hammersmith Bridge.
“I learned that the screws on Hammersmith Bridge were tightened with a huge spanner attached to horses,” said Amelie, 10, from St Peter’s. See photos from the day here.
Our STEM education programme lets H&F's youth discover engineering in an exciting, interactive way. We want H&F to be the best place for kids to find and explore their passions.
Read all about other times the bridge has been a valuable teaching tool:
Hammersmith Bridge work underway
Our engineers are busy finishing the final phase of stabilisation works for the Grade II* listed bridge.
This includes having expert engineers inspect the bridge’s foundations – originally designed for horses and carriages. Watch the video here on Instagram.
Engineers will replace the historic suspension bridge’s bearings which have seized. For this, hydraulic jacks will lift the bridge off its pedestals to allow the new rubber bearings to be installed.
For the latest Hammersmith Bridge updates, visit our Hammersmith Bridge webpage.
