ABSTRACT
The foundation stone to a bridge designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel was laid in 1837, almost a century after a bequest of £1000 by William Vick in 1753. It remained unfinished at Brunel’s death in 1859 and shortly after the Institution of Civil Engineers led a commercial initiative to complete it to remove ‘what was considered a slur upon the engineering talent of the country’. They appointed Hawkshaw and Barlow to design and construct a bridge on Brunel’s abutments using ironwork, bought at a favourable price, from Brunel’s footbridge across the Thames at Hungerford. The Clifton Bridge was finally opened in 1864 and was operated by a company financed by tolls. After 80 years, accrued dividends were used to redeem the shares and the bridge was vested under the 1952 Clifton Suspension Bridge Act1 in the present Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust, comprising up to 12 trustees. One trustee is appointed by each of the riparian local authorities-currently Avon County, Bristol City and Woodspring District; the remainder have to reside within 20 miles of the bridge. They bring to the direction of its affairs a wide range of responsible experience in management, commerce, engineering and public service.
