A plaque has been unveiled marking the Forth Bridge as a United Nations world heritage site, giving it the same status as the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China and the Sydney Opera House.

The status was awarded in 2015, recognising the railway bridge as a feat of engineering.

Malcolm Roughead, chief executive of Visit Scotland, said: “The Forth Bridge is one of the world’s most instantly recognisable bridges and a true marvel of Scottish engineering.

"It was fantastic to see it awarded world heritage status, and this plaque is an excellent commemoration for all the hard work put in to achieve this.”

The bridge, which spans the Firth of Forth between South Queensferry on the outskirts of Edinburgh and North Queensferry in Fife, took eight years to build.

Designed by Sir John Fowler and Benjamin Baker, it is 2,529m (1.5 miles) long, weighs 53,000 tonnes and was the world’s longest multi-span cantilever bridge.

At its peak, more than 4,500 men were employed building it.