Here, we bring you 10 facts about the famous structure. Create your account. In 1998 barriers were installed on the bridge to prevent people jumping. 10) Originally designed to cater for horse-drawn traffic, Clifton Suspension Bridge today serves as a crossing for more than four million vehicles every year. 1) The bridge, which spans the Avon Gorge and River Avon, linking Clifton in Bristol to Leigh Woods in North Somerset, weighs 1,500 tonnes, spans 702 feet, and sits 245 feet above the water below at high tide. In February 2012, the bridge trustees applied to the Department for Transport to increase the toll to 1,[41] subsequently implemented on 24 April 2014. Panhellenic Cults of Zeus: Zeus Velchanos & Zeus Lykaios, Richard Hakluyt: Biography & Significance, Cultural & Economic Interactions Between Native Americans & Europeans, Fenian: Definition, Movement & Brotherhood, World War II Propaganda: Posters & Cartoons, Working Scholars Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. 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 atop a 110-foot (34m) red sandstone-clad abutment. The three Trustees named in the Act were the Master of the Society of Merchant Venturers, the Senior Sheriff of the City and County of Bristol and Thomas Daniel. 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. They paid 50 each year to the trustees who gradually purchased the shares in the company. 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. Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust. 12167/42-44) (online catalogue). The bridge earns millions of pounds every year, 15. By remaining signed up to this list, your data will be transferred outside Great Britain to the USA. Meanwhile, the procession of Trades and Friendly Societies including the police, fire brigades, bricklayers and iron ship builders assembled in the Old Market. [56][57] 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.[58]. [17], These funds raised during the first few months of 1830 were not sufficient for the construction. It connects the north and south shores of Town Lake for pedestrians and bicyclists at the Tempe Center for the Arts. [24], After the passing of the Act for the Great Western Railway reestablished financial confidence, work resumed in 1836, but subsequent investment proved woefully inadequate. Telford rejected all the remaining designs, arguing that 577 feet (176m) was the maximum possible span. This center cost a whopping 2 million, followed by an additional 595,000 raised in a lottery to improve the visitor center. The competition's judge, Thomas Telford, tossed out all the submissions and chose his own, which understandably made people pretty upset. The original plan included a bridge with factories, 7. [27], Brunel died in 1859, without seeing the completion of the bridge. One of the most fascinating facts about the Clifton Suspension Bridge is that the first-ever modern bungee-jumps happened on April 1, 1979, right from the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Today, the Clifton Suspension Bridge spans 702 feet across the gorge, but getting it there required more than technology. It spans the Avon Gorge and the River Avon, 2. Dimensions. At the same time, one of Brunel's bridges over the Thames (the Hungerford Suspension Bridge) was being demolished and replaced with one running to a new train station. Between 1974 and 1993, 127 people fell to their deaths from the bridge. Construction was completed in the summer of 1864. Things didnt pick up until tragedy struck. After the passing of the Act for the Great Western Railway reestablished financial confidence, work resumed in 1836, but subsequent investment proved woefully inadequate. Although there was little development in the area before the late 18th century, as Bristol became more prosperous, Clifton became fashionable and more wealthy merchants moved to the area. 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. Its chains were purchased for use at Clifton. It had houses with shopfronts built on it to pay for its maintenance. [60][61], The bridge has three independent wrought iron chains per side, from which the bridge deck is suspended by eighty-one matching vertical wrought-iron rods ranging from 65 feet (20m) at the ends to 3 feet (0.91m) in the centre. Built in 1911 near Cameron, this is the oldest suspension bridge in Arizona and has been a registered historic site since 1986. John Hawkshaw and William Barlow modified the design and . The Clifton Bridge Company initially managed the bridge under licence from a charitable trust. The money was to be put into a bank account and the interest was to be accumulated until enough money was in it to fund the project. 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. When the son first showed the design to his father, his instant reaction was that he didnt think such construction with a single span could be built. The bridge is a distinctive landmark, used as a symbol of Bristol on postcards, promotional materials, and informational web sites. Telford was then asked to produce a design himself, which he did, proposing a 110-foot-wide (34m) suspension bridge, supported on tall Gothic towers, costing 52,000. 7) The Clifton Suspension Bridge is a Grade I-listed building. The bridge carries four million vehicles per year, along part of the B3129 road. The initiative was taken by members of the University of Oxford Dangerous Sports Club, who was arrested shortly after the stunt. However, the bridge was too wide and deep to support a bridge of this kind, so the money sat in a trust and grew ten times in size. His son chose to ignore his advice. To make things even better, he left about 1,000, which is the equivalent of over 150,000 today, in his will for the purpose of constructing the bridge. New factories werent profitable and the plan ended up being shelved. 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. Scottish Civil Engineer Thomas Telford looked closely at the remaining 5 plans and rejected all of them as well. Unfortunately, these didnt last long as they were blown out by the wind. Two men were killed during the construction of the bridge. The steel-link chains of the old bridge were brought to Bristol, and used for the construction of the Clifton bridge. Brunel submitted four entries. 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. [5] Other crossings were considered, but were restricted by Admiralty rules that stipulated that any bridge had to be at least 100 feet (30m) above the water to allow the passage of tall-masted warships to Bristol Harbour. 8) It was estimated that up to 150,000 people packed the city streets to watch a procession marking the opening of the bridge in 1864. Clifton Suspension Bridge Facts. 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. The Clifton Bridge Company initially managed the bridge under licence from a charitable trust. The University of Bristol Special Collections holds substantial records related to the bridge. The deck was much wider than the original design, it uses triple and not double chains, and the towers werent finished in an Egyptian style but simply rough stone. [32] The construction work was completed in 1864111 years after a bridge at the site was first planned. The bridge is built to a design by William Henry Barlow and John Hawkshaw, based on an earlier design by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In 1831 a second competition was held, with new judges including Davies Gilbert and John Seaward examining the engineering qualities of the proposals. Resentment at the tolls exacted to cross the new bridge occasioned the Bristol Bridge Riot of 1793. A rich merchant and Bristolian named William Vick was the man who came up with the idea to build a bridge in its current location. Get FREE access to HistoryExtra.com. qualities of achievement and commitment, the BritishHeritage.org serves to recognize the British Heritage contribution to the betterment of mankind. [15] They then called in Scottish civil engineer Thomas Telford to make a final selection from the five remaining entries. Between 1974 and 1993, 127 people fell to their deaths from the bridge. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. In Bristol, England, the 700-foot Avon Gorge was deemed impossible to cross. Reserve a place or simply turn up on the day. We send emails once a month. 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. [26] To enable the transfer of materials, a 1,000-foot-long (300m) iron bar, which was 1.25 inches (32mm) in diameter, had been drawn by capstan across the gorge. Original plans were for a stone bridge and later iterations were for a wrought iron structure. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 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. The French Revolutionary Wars broke out soon after the design was published, affecting trade and commerce, so the plans were shelved. The bridge weighs 1,500 tonnes, spans 702 feet, and sits 245 feet above the water below at high tide. [16][17], The three Trustees named in the Act met on 17 June 1830 and appointed further Trustees, bringing the total up to 23. In the four years after installation this reduced the suicide rate from eight deaths per year to four. An architectural competition didnt initially find a winning design, 8. Find Clifton Suspension Bridge stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. In December 1864, and nearly 35 years after construction had started, the world's longest chain bridge opened in Bristol. When they started building they realised it was never going to be possible to put the decoration on, and Brunel redesigned the bridge in a plain format.. By 1843 funds were exhausted and another 30,000 was needed. 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! The Clifton Suspension Bridge - built 150 years ago - looms over Bristol - a symbol of the city and its creator Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Construction began in 1831. 86 people had committed 17,350, an average of just over 200 each. 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