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BRISTOL PICTURE LIBRARY - Stock Photography of Bristol, a Searchable Database of 'Pictures of Bristol' Please get in touch to use images for publication or commercial purposes
Brunels Clifton Suspension Bridge, proposals to build a bridge across the Avon Gorge began as early as the 1750s, it wasn't until the 1820s that competitions for a suitable design led to drawings submitted by a young Isambard Kingdom Brunel being chosen. The 24 year old engineer was also appointed to direct the project, it was his first major commission but one that he would never see completed! The foundation stones for the bridge were laid in 1831 but numerous set backs, financial and political meant that the construction was halted and wouldn't be completed until 1864, five years after Brunel's death. The toll bridge carries pedestrians and traffic, around four million vehicles per year, across the Gorge and over the river Avon some 245 feet below.
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