Historical Bridge Awareness Month was created to draw our awareness to preservation and appreciation of historical bridges. You can check online resources such as an interactive state map of bridges to find any historical bridges in your state.
In honor of Historical Bridge Awareness Month, we wanted to share historical photographs of the Clifton Suspension Bridge in England from our Special Collections. Completed in 1864, the Clifton Suspension Bridge links Clifton in Bristol to Leigh Woods in North Somerset in England. Construction began on June 20, 1831, and the bridge design was created by William Henry Barlow and John Hawkshaw, based on an earlier design submitted by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The total length of the bridge is 1,352 ft (412m,) and the height is 331 ft (101m) above high water level. Brunel died in 1859 without seeing the completion of the bridge.
The bridge is known for the first modern bungee jumps, which were performed by the members of the University of Oxford Dangerous Sports Club in 1979. (information taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifton_Suspension_Bridge)
Clifton Suspension Bridge, Clifton, Bristol, England Brunel, Isambard Kingdom, 1806-1859, English [engineer] 1831-1864 Clifton, Bristol, England HOLLIS Number: olvsite13364 Harvard Fine Arts Library, Special Collections
