BRIDGESPOTTING

The Clifton Suspension Bridge in Clifton, a suburb about five miles northwest of central Bristol, is probably one of the most popular tourist bridges in the world. It is not the oldest, largest, most ornate, or most technologically advanced for its time, nut it may be the best known and most photographed suspension bridge in Britain.

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The construction of the bridge was legendary. For reasons unknown, a single individual, William Vick, left a legacy of 1,000 pounds when he died in 1754, with the stipulation that it be invested and allowed to grow until it was enough to build a bridge across the Avon Gorge at Clifton. Over the following 50 years the money grew, and prospective bridge designers began dabbling with the challenge of bridging the gorge. The idea was delayed by the Napoleonic Wars, but revisited in the 1820s. By the late 1820s, a well-publicized design competition was held and judged by Thomas Telford. There followed the usual complications of finding that none of the designs could be built with the money available, disagreements and personality clashes among competitors, appeals to Parliament for additional funding, opposition from ferry operators, additional rounds of competition, social unrest, and economic highs and lows that made construction of the bridge appear more and then less and then more likely again. The design competition was eventually awarded to Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a famous engineer who would later construct the Great Western Railway.

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Bridge construction began in 1831, immediately stopped, started again in 1836, and stopped again in 1843, leaving unfinished stone towers dominating the skyline views of the gorge. Work remained stopped until about 1860, when Hungerford Bridge in London was being dismantled and its eyebar chains, similar to those proposed for use in the Clifton Bridge, needed to be disposed of. This reinvigorated the Clifton project, which then moved forward quickly and was completed in 1864. These competitions and associated turmoil were widely publicized at the time, making the bridge a project of national importance and a tourist attraction even before it was completed. The bridge is a symbol of the city of Bristol and has been prominently featured in railway and tourist advertisements from the start.

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On paper, Clifton would certainly attract a few bridge enthusiasts but probably few other tourists. However, for some reason, this bridge is crawling with tourists, all gone well out of their way to get there, and taking thousands of pictures. It is not that the bridge is the oldest, highest, most technologically advanced, or prettiest. It is that the bridge is old, and high, and technologically interesting, and visually appealing, all at the same time.

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I have posted many photos of the bridge, from various angles, on www.bridgespotting.com. I have also included a more detailed description of the construction of the bridge in my book, Bridgespotting: A Guide to Bridges that Connect People, Places, and Times.