Pero's Bridge

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Pero's Bridge
Pero's Bridge
Carries Pedestrian
Crosses St Augustine's Reach in Bristol Harbour
Locale Bristol
Maintained by Bristol City Council
Design bascule bridge
Longest span 11m
Vertical clearance 3.3m
Opening date 1999

Pero's Bridge (grid reference ST585726) is a pedestrian, bascule bridge at St Augustine's Reach in Bristol Harbour. It links Queen Square and Millennium Square.

Contents

[edit] Structure

The bridge is comprised of three spans; the two outer ones are fixed and the central section can be raised to provide a navigation channel in the harbour. The most distinctive features of the bridge are the pair of horn-shaped sculptures which act as counterweights for the lifting section, leading it to be commonly known as the Horned Bridge.

[edit] Pero

The bridge is named after "Pero" who lived from around 1753 to 1798, arriving in Bristol probably from the Caribbean Island of Nevis in 1783, as the slave of the merchant John Pinney (1740-1818) at 5 Great George Street.[1][2]

[edit] History

The bridge was designed by the Irish artist Eilis O'Connell, in conjunction with Ove Arup & Partners engineers and opened in 1999.

[edit] Dimensions

Pero's Bridge
Pero's Bridge

Length of lifting span (11m)[3]

[edit] Gallery

Close up of the horn-shaped counterweights

[edit] References

  1. ^ Pero's Bridge. History Footsteps. Retrieved on 2006-08-19.
  2. ^ Bristol's Georgian House Museum. Bristol City Council. Retrieved on 2006-08-19.
  3. ^ Pero's Bridge, Bristol, UK. Arup. Retrieved on 2006-08-19.

[edit] Bibliography

Eickelmann, Christine; David Small (2004). PERO: The Life of a Slave in Eighteenth-Century Bristol. Redcliffe Press Ltd. ISBN 1-904537-03-0. 

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 51.45085° N 2.59861° W