Clifton Suspension Bridge

Image: Project Gutenberg • Believed to be in the Public Domain (age)

The Clifton Suspension Bridge opened in 1864 and spans the Avon Gorge and the River Avon, linking Clifton in Bristol to Leigh Woods in North Somerset. Since opening it has been a toll bridge. The income from the tolls continues to provide funds for its maintenance. It is a grade I listed building and forms part of the B3129 road.

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The idea of building a bridge across the Avon Gorge originated in 1753. Original plans were for a stone bridge and later iterations were for a wrought iron structure. In 1831, an attempt to build Brunel's design was stopped by the Bristol riots, and the revised version of his designs was built after his death and completed in 1864. Although similar in size, the bridge towers are not identical in design, the Clifton tower having side cut outs, the Leigh tower more pointed arches on top of a 110 foot red sandstone clad abutment. Roller mounted "saddles" at the top of each tower allow movement of the three independent wrought iron chains on each side when loads pass over the bridge. The bridge deck is suspended by 162 vertical wrought-iron rods in 81 matching pairs.

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Two men were killed during the bridge's construction.

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The Clifton Bridge Company initially managed the bridge under licence from a charitable trust. The trust subsequently purchased the company shares, completing this in 1949 and took over the running of the bridge using the income from tolls to pay for maintenance. The bridge is a distinctive landmark, used as a symbol of Bristol on postcards, promotional materials, and informational web sites. It was also used as a backdrop to several films and television advertising and programmes.

Source: Wikipedia

Images: Believed to be in the Public Domain or used with permission