ABSTRACT
Bridges lined with shops have always been rarities, but Robert Adam's creation in Bath has more than novelty value. Bath wick was a rural parish when William Pulteney acquired it in 1726. Once Pulteney had convinced both the Corporation and his wife's trustees of the soundness of his plans, the next step was an Act of Parliament. The 1773 accounts for the bridge include a payment to Robert Adam for 'a Plan of the Streets Buildings and Squares of a New T own on the Bathwick side of the River. The rapid decision was taken to erect a temporary bridge upstream, while Pulteney Bridge was rebuilt 'on a most elegant plan, and to consist of only one arch. Pulteney Bridge has become one of the architectural symbols of Bath; probably few realize how short a life Adam's bridge had, and how long it took to restore even half of it to a semblance of his original vision.
