Clifton Suspension Bridge

No visit to Bristol would be complete without a stroll over Brunel's famed Clifton Suspension Bridge.

The mamoth structure spans 214 metres over the Avon Gorge between Bristol and Somerset. It was Brunel's "First love and darling" and still comands the respect of visitors quite used to feats of 21st Century engineering.

The history of the Clifton Suspension Bridge is a story worth telling. In 1828, Isambard Kingdom Brunel was working on the Rotherhithe tunnel when the Thames waters burst through and almost killed him. Following the incident, Brunel left London for Bristol and, 2 years later, entered a contest to design a bridge at Clifton. His Egyptian-style design beat-off competition from older and more experienced engineers (including Thomas Telford) and the foundation stones were laid in 1836. Sadly, funds ran low and construction ceased a few years later. Brunel never lived to see his bridge finally completed in 1864.

Luckily for us, Brunel's design was not followed to the letter and the bridge was widened to enable a local landowner to cross the river with his horse and carriage. If it were not for this intervention, the bridge today would be unpassable by car. Despite this good fortune, it is worth taking the time to walk across the Clifton Suspension Bridge and so better enjoy its sweeping views of the picturesque Avon Gorge.

View attraction map »

Back to list »