
An image from the early 1920s has revealed one of the fascinating design submissions for the Sydney Harbour Bridge - a three-way structure with a 500ft high tower in the middle.

The three-part bridge was designed by architect and civil engineer Francis Ernest Stowe in 1922.

The design links Balls Head, Miller's Point and Balmain, meeting in the middle with a central tower on Goat Island which was designed to double as a war memorial.

Architect and civil engineer Francis Ernest Stowe's design for a three-part bridge between Balls Head, Miller's Point and Balmain, meeting in the centre at Goat Island

A map showing Ernest Stowe's design from 1922 meeting in the centre at Goat Island, compared to where the Sydney Harbour Bridge is located today

The view from Balls Head with the central business district of Sydney on the right, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge on the left

In the design, vehicles are able to drive from each of the three points, entering into a cathedral-like intersection before driving out the other side.

The arms of each bridge feature impressive pylons similar to those used in the design of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.

Stowe's proposal also recommended changing Goat Island's name to 'Anzac Isle' and a miniature replica of Anzac Bays and a coastline be created on the shores of the island.

A blueprint for one of engineer, naval architect and inventor Norman Selfe's designs for the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which he submitted after the initial competition was announced in January 1900. The competition was later abandoned until after WWI

Another one of Norman Selfe's bridge designs from 1903 (pictured)

In the book 'Bridging Sydney' by Caroline Mackaness, it said Stowe's proposal, which was published in the Sydney Morning Herald at the time, was in response to Dr JJC Bradfield's scheme for a second bridge from Millers Point to Balmain.

Despite being 400ft longer than Dr Bradfield's design specifications, Stowe said the bridge could be completed more quickly and cheaply using Crown land.

At the time, Stowe argued 'the Milson's Point Bridge [Sydney Habour Bridge] means the practical destruction of the whole of the so-called North Shore'.

An image showing a bridge design across Sydney Harbour by Ted Hood, similar to that of the Manhattan Bridge in New York

He also said it would involve the wreckage of hundreds of houses and shops at Milson's Point.

While the earliest proposal for a bridge between the northern and southern shores of the city was in 1815, the NSW Government announced the international competition in 1900, before suspending it until after WWI.

Dr JJC Bradfield presented his design to the New South Wales Government after WWI and tenders were put out worldwide to present bridge designs for consideration.

The Matson liner Malolo going up Sydney Harbour, past the partially constructed Sydney Harbour Bridge circa 1930

Mr Stowe's design was one of many under consideration and according to his obituary, published in the Sydney Morning Herald in 1936, his three-armed bridge design was only rejected by a narrow majority.

Stowe unsuccessfully petitioned to appear before the Legislative Council as it considered the Sydney Harbour Bridge Bill in November 1922.

The contract to build the Sydney Harbour Bridge was awarded to English company Dorman Long and Co Pty. Ltd.

An image showing the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Upon its completion in 1932 it was the largest single-arch bridge in the world

The bridge's construction began on 28 July 1923 and over the next eight years 1,400 workers workers were employed to build it, costing more than 10 million pounds(AUD$17 million).

Approximately six million hand driven rivets and 52,800 tonnes of steel were used to complete the construction, and 272,000 litres of paint were required to give the bridge its initial three coats.

Also known as The Coathanger, the Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened on March 19th 1932 by Premier Jack Lang, after six years of construction.

A view down Pitt Street in Sydney in the early 1920s showing the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background

The opening however, didn't take place without controversy, as just as the premier was about to cut the ribbon on the bridge, a man in military uniform rode up on a horse and slashed the ribbon with his sword - opening the bridge in the name of the people of New South Wales before the official ceremony had begun.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge now carries eight lanes of traffic and two rail lines, with more than 200,000 vehicles crossing each day.

The contract to build the Sydney Harbour Bridge was awarded to English company Dorman Long and Co Pty. Ltd.

The bridge's construction began on 28 July 1923 and over the next eight years 1,400 workers workers were employed to build it, costing more than 10 million pounds ($AUD17 million)

Approximately six million hand driven rivets and 52,800 tonnes of steel were used to complete the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and 272,000 litres of paint were required to give the bridge its initial three coats

Also known as The Coathanger, the Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened on March 19th 1932 by Premier Jack Lang, after six years of construction. Pictured is an aerial view of Sydney Harbour Bridge in the 1940s

The bridge opening in 1932 didn't take place without controversy. Just as the premier was about to cut the ribbon on the bridge, a man in military uniform rode up on a horse and slashed the ribbon with his sword - opening the bridge in the name of the people of New South Wales before the official ceremony had begun

The Sydney Harbour Bridge (pictured) now carries eight lanes of traffic and two rail lines, with more than 200,000 vehicles crossing the road deck each day