Clifton Suspension Bridge

[phantom]

On 8th December 1864 the Clifton Suspension Bridge opened, making the bridge 157 years old today! Thousands crowded to witness its opening. It was quite the celebration with sixteen bands and a mile long procession. It took 33 years for the bridge to be built and Brunel didn't live to see it completed. 

[ralphindevon]

Looks like one of the stands from the memorial ground on the right of the bridge, that must have been where they got it.

That bridge is such an iconic bit of engineering, known around the world and putting Bristol on the map.

[Erithacus]

Yes the saga of the construction of a Clifton bridge largely encapsulates Bristol's civic story in a way that us modern types will recognise. It's creation was a round of dreams and dashes, starts and stops, funding crises and all manner of delays. No wonder old IKB fell off his perch before it was finally opened. Hawkshaw and Barlow were brought in as fire-fighters to a project that had stalled badly. I may be harsh in saying it but it is a minor miracle that it ever got finished.

But thankfully it did and now Bristol has an icon to rank among the best of our nation. Could we imagine what the place would be like if it had been scrapped?

[Robbored]

I read that 400 people have died by throwing themselves off the bridge. One survived, a lady called Sarah Anne Henley who after a quarrel with her lover threw herself off only for her crinoline dress to inflate and reduce the velocity of her fall. She ended up in the mud and was rescued and lived into her 80s.

[Lanterne Rouge]

It truly is a thing of beauty and Bristol should rightfully be proud of it. Part of being a City fan is seeing it lit up when you`re in the SS or previously the EE on night matches after the leaves are off the trees.

There`s a documentary somewhere presented by, I think, Rob Bell where he gets to go into all the hidden spaces inside it - the towers are, surprisingly, hollow!

[spudski]

And designed by a woman. That had to have Brunel put his name to it, because woman weren't considered Engineers back then. 

[Robbored]

42 minutes ago, spudski said:

And designed by a woman. That had to have Brunel put his name to it, because woman weren't considered Engineers back then. 

Over the years I attended several presentations about the life of IK Brunel and of course the magnificent Clifton Suspension Bridge and at none of them was there ever a mention of a woman being the designer.

it must a closely guarded secret! 

[spudski]

1 hour ago, Robbored said:

Over the years I attended several presentations about the life of IK Brunel and of course the magnificent Clifton Suspension Bridge and at none of them was there ever a mention of a woman being the designer.

it must a closely guarded secret! 

Not really. 

https://cliftonbridge.org.uk/did-sarah-guppy-design-the-clifton-suspension-bridge/#:~:text=Sarah Guppy was a very,%2C talented%2C creative and charismatic.

[Robbored]

27 minutes ago, spudski said:

Not really. 

https://cliftonbridge.org.uk/did-sarah-guppy-design-the-clifton-suspension-bridge/#:~:text=Sarah Guppy was a very,%2C talented%2C creative and charismatic.

It’s seems as if her ideas were developed and implemented by other engineers one of whom may have been Brunel so it’s not entirely accurate to claim that she designed the Suspension Bridge.

I’d never come across her before but she was clearly a remarkable woman

[spudski]

1 minute ago, Robbored said:

It’s seems as if her ideas were developed and implemented by other engineers one of whom may have been Brunel so it’s not entirely accurate to claim that she designed the Suspension Bridge.

I’d never come across her before but she was clearly a remarkable woman

There are other stories relating to this RR. Worth researching. 

[Robbored]

19 minutes ago, spudski said:

There are other stories relating to this RR. Worth researching. 

Thanks Spudski - just read her wiki page. She had a fascinating life for sure.