• The bridge was designed in 1849 by staff in I.K. Brunel's Westminster office to carry traffic over the new South Entrance Lock ('Brunel's Lock') in the Cumberland Basin, which was under construction at the time. The bridge became operational in October 1849.
• Brunel himself was closely involved in both its design and its construction. It represents an early stage in the development of the flanged plate girders that characterised Brunel's later medium span wrought-iron bridges.
• Brunel’s Swivel Bridge, which spanned the new lock, was fabricated at the Great Western Steamship works where the SS Great Britain had been built a few years earlier.
• In 1872-1873 the bridge was shortened and relocated to its present position over the North Entrance Lock ('Howard's Lock').
• The hydraulic machinery of the lock was renewed in 1901-1902, manufactured by Sir W.G. Armstrong, Whitworth and Co Ltd of Newcastle upon Tyne.
• The bridge was decommissioned in 1968 after construction of the nearby Plimsoll Bridge as part of the new Cumberland Basin road system and it narrowly avoided being scrapped when the new bridge was constructed.

Restoration work will be carried out in phases.

• Investigation and survey work is almost complete and engineering designs are in progress.
• The turntable and wheels on which the deck rotates have been restored, and the deck is capable of turning, but is not certified to so.
• Renewal of the central pintle bearing which centralises the deck and supports part of its weight is in progress.
• The deck-plates, tail-wheel and track, timber stops, north abutment setting gear will be repaired.
• New deck boarding and a modern drive will be installed.

We have carried out extensive surveys of the Bridge using Lidar scanning, level surveys, photogrammetry and manual measurement. CAD drawings of every part have been prepared, to which details of corrosion and plate-thicknesses have been added. These drawings enable us to refine restoration decisions and de-risk the project.

Bob Watkins, one of our volunteers has been producing amazing CAD drawings of all the parts of the Bridge.

Click here to see them

We have photographs from the inspections of the bridge that were done in 2015 and 2017

Click here to see them