address: Clifton Suspension Bridge, Clifton, Bristol, BS. The Clifton Suspension Bridge is located in the city of Bristol in the southwest of England and connects Clifton in Bristol to Leigh Woods in North Somerset. [44], On 1 April 1979, the first modern bungee jumps were made from the bridge by members of the University of Oxford Dangerous Sports Club. The chains are anchored in tapering tunnels, 25 metres (82ft) long, on either side of the bridge and plugs of Staffordshire blue brick infilled to prevent the chains being pulled out of the narrower tunnel mouth. . Construction began in 1831. They paid 50 each year to the trustees who gradually purchased the shares in the company. Is there a better place to perform a historical stunt? . 2) Described by Isambard Kingdom Brunel as My first love, my darling, the bridge took 33 years to complete. The riots severely dented commercial confidence in Bristol; subscriptions to the bridge company ceased, and along with it, further construction of the bridge. Type. The bridge opened in the 1860s. Clifton Suspension Bridge Bridge Road, Leigh Woods, Bristol, BS8 3PA +44 (0)117 974 4664 Email About The world famous Clifton Suspension Bridge was designed by the great Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, although he never lived to see his creation finished in 1864. [6] The alternative was to build across the narrowest point of the Avon Gorge, well above the height required for shipping. 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. In this post, youll discover the ultimate list of facts about Clifton Suspension Bridge, one of the most picturesque bridges in the world! Still standing strong, the Clifton Suspension Bridge is a monument to a man whose mind helped propel the Industrial Revolution. Work began on the bridge in 1836 under the supervision of Isambard Kingdom . Since 2006, on the year of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, LED lights were introduced which give the bridge an amazing appearance at night! Brunel submitted four entries. Even without digital technology, Brunel calculated the minimal weight of each chain to support maximum weight almost perfectly. [30], A revised design was made by William Henry Barlow and Sir John Hawkshaw, with a wider, higher and sturdier deck than Brunel intended, with triple chains instead of double. They then called in Scottish civil engineer Thomas Telford to make a final selection from the five remaining entries. View of Avon Gorge from the Leigh Woods Tower of the Clifton Suspension Bridge The stats. Before the construction started again in 1862, serious revisions were made to the design of the bridge by William Henry Barlow and Sir John Hawkshaw. Get FREE access to HistoryExtra.com. The elder Brunel had recommended including a central support for the bridge, as he did not believe a single-span bridge of such length could be constructed. Entry is FREE. The University of Bristol Special Collections holds substantial records related to the bridge. It required genius. He redesigned the pylons to be simpler in decoration, although the basic Egyptian-inspired shape was maintained. [25] Despite the main contractors going bankrupt in 1837, the towers were built in unfinished stone. The initial funding for the bridge was generated in 1754 by Bristol wine merchant William Vick, who left 1,000 in his will to go towards the construction of a toll-free stone bridge across the Avon Gorge. The 85-foot-tall (26m) Leigh Woods tower stands atop a 110-foot (34m) red sandstone-clad abutment. Subscribe to our mailing list to be the first to hear of Hard Hat Tour announcements, special events and news. Thirteen designs were submitted; Telford's was the only one in which the chains achieved the weight per square inch required by the judges but it was rejected as being too expensive. qualities of achievement and commitment, the BritishHeritage.org serves to recognize the British Heritage contribution to the betterment of mankind. 23 chapters | Clifton Suspension Bridge, Clifton The world famous bridge and the iconic symbol of Bristol, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1831 and completed in 1864 after his death. In 1885, a 22-year-old woman named Sarah Ann Henley survived a suicide attempt off the bridge when her billowing skirts acted as a parachute and she landed in the thick mud banks of the tidal River Avon at low tide; she subsequently lived into her eighties. It spans the Avon Gorge and the River Avon, 2. Since opening in 1864, it has been a toll bridge, the income from which provides funds for its maintenance. They paid 50 each year to the trustees who gradually purchased the shares in the company. In order to do so, it spans the River Avon which runs through the Avon Gorge, a 1.5-mile (2.5-kilometer) gorge that runs all along the western part of the city. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. Chris has a master's degree in history and teaches at the University of Northern Colorado. 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. Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol.M/S First electrician lowering the bulbs down to him. The Clifton Suspension Bridge - built 150 years ago - looms over Bristol - a symbol of the city and its creator Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The Clifton Suspension Bridge Commissioning the Project Back in the 1700s, a wine merchant in Bristol left 1,000 British pounds in his will for the construction of a stone bridge over Avon. Clifton Suspension Bridge, designed in 1829-31 by IK Brunel, and completed in 1860-4 by Sir John Hawkshaw and William Henry Barlow, is listed at Grade I for the following principal reasons: . You better dont be afraid of heights when leaning over the edge because the clearance below the deck is 245 feet (76 meters) above high water level as well! So, a second competition was held in 1830. In 2002 it was discovered that this was not a solid structure but contained 12 vaulted chambers up to 35 feet (11m) high, linked by shafts and tunnels. The tolls are used to pay for the upkeep of the bridge, including the strengthening of the chain anchor points, which was done in 1925 and 1939, and regular painting and maintenance, which is carried out from a motorised cradle slung beneath the deck. The construction of a bridge across the river with the supports, structural elements, cranes. This is to ensure that we give you the best experience possible. The Clifton Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Avon Gorge and the River Avon, linking Clifton in Bristol to Leigh Woods in North Somerset. [63], Two men were killed during the construction of the bridge. [62] The origins of Clifton Suspension Bridge went back even further, to 1753, when a local merchant left 1,000 in his will with . [15][8][16], The Bridge Committee which had been set up to look at the designs sponsored the Clifton Bridge Bill which became an Act when the Bill received the Royal Assent on 29 May 1830. The winning design was for a suspension bridge with fashionably Egyptian-influenced towers. [11][12], By 1829, Vick's bequest had reached 8,000, but it was estimated that a stone bridge would cost over ten times that. The custom of lighting the bridge has continued with more recent events, although later thousands of electric light bulbs were attached to the bridge instead of flares. Brunel suggested building a deep water pier at Portbury, which would make the bridge an essential road link, but funds for this scheme were not forthcoming. One of the most remarkable facts about Clifton Suspension Bridge is that this original idea was turned into this amazing structure and opened well over a century later in 1864! Designed and built in 1836 by a young engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, this 702-foot-long, 250-foot-high suspension bridge gracefully spans the Avon Gorge between Clifton and Leigh Woods. suspension bridge; bridge; tower bridge; 1. . Others included Thomas Durbin Brice, Master of the Society of Merchant Venturers, George Daubeny, John Cave, John Scandrett Harford, George Hilhouse, Henry Bush, and Richard Guppy. 4) According to Brunels original plans, both towers were to have an Egyptian style. In many ways, he was the perfect choice to build a bridge that few could figure out how to design. [45] In 2003 and 2004, the weight of crowds travelling to and from the Ashton Court Festival and Bristol International Balloon Fiesta put such great strain on the bridge that it was decided to close the bridge to all motor traffic and pedestrians during the events. [29], It has been argued that the size and technology of these revisions was so great that the credit for its design should go to Barlow and Hawkshaw. As the pylons were built, it quickly became apparent that Brunel's ambition outpaced the technology, and that it would be too difficult to get the massive sphinxes into place. Despite this Brunel produced a new proposal costing 10,000 less than Telford's design and gained support for it in the local press. [32] The chains are anchored in tapering tunnels, 25 metres (82ft) long,[33] on either side of the bridge and plugs of Staffordshire blue brick infilled to prevent the chains being pulled out of the narrower tunnel mouth. Despite the main contractors going bankrupt in 1837, the towers were built in unfinished stone. Our mailing list is processed securely on our behalf by Mail Chimp, who are based in the USA. The bridge is a distinctive landmark, used as a symbol of Bristol on postcards, promotional materials, and informational web sites. A toll of 0.50 has been levied on vehicles since 2007, but the 0.05 toll that the Act allows for cyclists or pedestrians is not collected. Brunel had a personal meeting with Gilbert and persuaded him to change the decision. Item Width. A new bridge, designed by James Bridges and finished by Thomas Paty was built in 1769 and 1776. Original plans were for a stone bridge and later iterations were for a wrought iron structure. It has been argued that the size and technology of these revisions was so great that the credit for its design should go to Barlow and Hawkshaw. Though their total travel is minuscule, their ability to absorb forces created by chain deflection prevents damage to both tower and chain. The bridge deck is suspended by 162 vertical wrought-iron rods in 81 matching pairs. Stereoview of the Hungerford Bridge, London taken from the carriageway 9 visits; Stereoview of the Avon Gorge showing the deck of the Clifton Suspension Bridge under construction 9 visits; The Adrian Andrews Collection 9 visits; Stereoview of Clifton Suspension Bridge showing giant's cave and Port to Pier Railway by St Vincent's Rocks 8 visits [63] In 1885, a 22-year-old woman named Sarah Ann Henley survived a suicide attempt off the bridge when her billowing skirts acted as a parachute and she landed in the thick mud banks of the tidal River Avon at low tide; she subsequently lived into her eighties. In 1851, the ironwork was sold and used to build the Brunel-designed Royal Albert Bridge on the railway between Plymouth and Saltash. This seriously changed after the First World War as more and more vehicles were crossing the bridge. On 4 April 2009, the bridge was shut for one night to allow a crack in one of the support hangers to be repaired. Create an account to start this course today. A visitor center documents the entire history of the bridge, The Laughing Cavalier by Frans Hals Top 8 Facts, The Caf-Concert by douard Manet Top 8 Facts, Top 10 Famous Paintings at the Frans Hals Museum, 8 Historic Facts about the Szchenyi Chain Bridge. [46], On 26 November 2003, the last Concorde flight (Concorde 216) flew over the bridge before landing at Filton Aerodrome. In February 2012, the bridge trustees applied to the Department for Transport to increase the toll to 1, subsequently implemented on 24 April 2014. During this time a tunnel was driven through the rocks on the Leigh Woods side beneath the bridge to carry the Bristol Port Railway to Avonmouth. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, it marks a turning point in the history of engineering and has come to symbolise a city of original thinkers and independent spirit. [61] The deck was originally laid with wooden planking, later covered with asphalt, which was renewed in 2009. Collections; Project #ShowUs; Creative Insights; . Suggested duration < 1 hour Suggest edits to improve what we show. The winner was declared to be a design by Smith and Hawkes of the Eagle Foundry in Birmingham. The bridge is built to a design by William Henry Barlow and John Hawkshaw,[2] based on an earlier design by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. His colleagues in the Institution of Civil Engineers felt that completion of the Bridge would be a fitting memorial, and started to raise new funds. The closure of the bridge for major annual events has continued each year since then. [59] Letter books of the trustees of Clifton Suspension Bridge dated 18311862 are held at Bristol Archives (Ref. In December 2012 it was announced that the bridge had received 595,000 of funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to improve the visitor centre. To achieve this, any bridge constructed between Bristol Bridge and Avon Gorge, from Hotwells to Ashton Gate, would require massive embankments and viaducts. The committee then declared Brunel the winner and he was awarded a contract as project engineer. His son chose to ignore his advice. The bridge weighs 1,500 tonnes, spans 702 feet, and sits 245 feet above the water below at high tide. His career would eventually include propeller-driven steamships, railroad tracks, and underwater tunnels, but the Avon Gorge project was his first bridge. The steel-link chains of the old bridge were brought to Bristol, and used for the construction of the Clifton bridge. [25] By 1843 funds were exhausted and another 30,000 was needed. In 1831, an attempt to build Brunel's design was halted by the Bristol riots, and the revised version of his designs was built after his death and completed in 1864. The income is mainly used for the maintenance and painting of the bridge. His methods were highly experimental and didn't always work, but he had a reputation for finding creative solutions to problems that had stumped engineers for solutions. [21][22], A ceremony to mark the start of the construction works was held Monday 20 June 1831. By 2008 over 4 million vehicles crossed the bridge each year. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. There were long delays in its 33-year construction and the bridge was not completed until 1864, five years after Brunel's death. The riots severely dented commercial confidence in Bristol; subscriptions to the bridge company ceased, and along with it, further construction of the bridge. 12167/42-44) (online catalogue). Although similar in size the bridge towers are not identical in design, the Clifton tower having side cut-outs whilst the Leigh tower has more pointed arches and chamfered edges. A new bridge, designed by James Bridges and finished by Thomas Paty was built in 1769 and 1776. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Alderman Thomas Daniel was in the chair. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Initially a temporary bridge was created by pulling ropes across the gorge and making a footway of wire ropes with wood planks held together with iron hoops. [69]Nicolette Powell, the wife of UK rhythm and blues singer Georgie Fame, formerly the Marchioness of Londonderry, jumped to her death from the bridge on 13 August 1993. After this time, with the creation of faster planes, the practice became too dangerous. Letter books of the trustees of Clifton Suspension Bridge dated 18311862 are held at Bristol Archives (Ref. The Act allowed a wrought iron suspension bridge to be built instead of stone, and tolls levied to recoup the cost. This beautiful suspension bridge is lit with vibrant blue hues after dark. A 17th-century illustration shows that these bridge houses were five storeys high, including the attic rooms, and that they overhung the river much as Tudor houses would overhang the street. Publication Year. ", "A Business History of the Clifton Suspension Bridge", "Clifton suspension bridge with added pagoda", "Brunel rejected father's pagoda plan for Clifton Suspension Bridge", "Brunel Collection: Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust (1830 present) Papers", "Clifton Suspension Bridge toll to rise to 1", "How much is the toll to cross the Bridge? Some experts expect another 150 years out of it without anything besides standard maintenance, even with the greatly increased weight and pressures of modern automobile traffic. The new facilities were scheduled to be completed before the 150th anniversary of the opening, which was celebrated on 8 December 2014. Brunel died in 1859 from a kidney disease caused by smoking, just after the completion of one of his most famous designs, one of the 7 wonders of the industrial world, the massive ship the SS Great Eastern. 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