Pulteney Bridge
Pulteney Bridge is a bridge over the River Avon in Bath, England. It was completed by 1774, and connected the city with the land of the Pulteney family which the family wished to develop. Designed by Robert Adam in a Palladian style, it is highly unusual in that it has shops built across its full span on both sides. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.[1]
Not to be confused with Putney Bridge.
Pulteney Bridge
Buses, taxis, cyclists, pedestrians
Arch bridge
45 metres (148 ft)
18 metres (58 ft)
3
2
Reed and Lowther (bridge)
Singers and Lankeshere (shops)
1769
1774
Within 20 years of its construction, alterations were made that expanded the shops and changed the façades. By the end of the 18th century, it had been damaged by floods, but was rebuilt to a similar design. Over the next century alterations to the shops included cantilevered extensions on the bridge's north face. In the 20th century, several schemes were carried out to preserve the bridge and partially return it to its original appearance, enhancing its appeal as a tourist attraction.
The bridge is now 45 metres (148 ft) long and 18 metres (58 ft) wide. Although there have been plans to pedestrianise the bridge, it is still used by buses and taxis. The much photographed bridge and weir below are close to the centre of the city, a World Heritage Site, renowned for its Georgian architecture.
Background[edit]
The bridge is named after Frances Pulteney, wife of William Johnstone. He was a wealthy Scottish lawyer and Member of Parliament (MP). Frances was the third daughter of MP and government official Daniel Pulteney (1684–1731) and first cousin once removed of William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath. She inherited the Earl's substantial fortune and estates close to Bath in Somerset after his death in 1764 and that of his younger brother and heir in 1767, and the Johnstones changed their surname to Pulteney. The rural Bathwick estate, which Frances and William inherited in 1767, was across the river from the city and could only be reached by ferry. William made plans to create a new town, which would become a suburb to the historic city of Bath, but first he needed a better river crossing.[2] The work of the Pulteneys is memorialised by Great Pulteney Street in Bathwick,[3] and Henrietta Street and Laura Place, named after their daughter Henrietta Laura Johnstone.[4][5]
Pulteney Bridge in 2021
Weir near Pulteney Bridge in 2021
View from the north side
Shops on the north side
