Until the opening of the Royal Albert Bridge in 1859, (May 4^th) Cornwall was socially isolated since it was extremely remote and travel to London was extremely difficult.  The development of railway transport transformed the Cornish economy allowing daffodils and potatoes to arrive at Paddington the day after being picked and stimulating extensive tourism in the county.  Until 1962, however, road transport was limited to those who used the narrow A30 road or crossed the Tamar by ferry.

The Tamar Bridge was opened on this day in 1962 and made commuting to and from Plymouth a straightforward matter and greatly reduced the time of journeys from Cornwall to London.

The opening of this bridge transformed the county’s economy, permitting commuting from Bodmin, Launceston and even Truro and removing a barrier to tourism.