8 minute read
A BRIDGE IN TIME
Four of a kind
The style and grace of Pulteney Bridge has been enticing visitors to Bath’s riverbanks for over two centuries. As residents, we cherish it –but how much do we really know about it? Millie Bruce-Watt looks back at its history
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Acity steeped in rich history, Bath is home to stunning examples of Georgian architecture. Standing at the heart of it is an iconic structure exuding beauty and vitality in equal measure. Pulteney Bridge is admired for its sheer elegance and valued as a rarity in its own right.
With only four of its kind existing in the world, Pulteney Bridge sits in fine company with Florence’s Ponte Vecchio, Venice’s Rialto Bridge and Erfurt’s Krämerbrücke in central Germany. The common, but seemingly golden, feature that ties the four designs is the row of shops that line the structures across their full span. Due to this unique quality, the bridges are treasured marvels in their respective countries and attract millions of visitors each year.
Bath’s Pulteney Bridge, completed in 1774, was designed by renowned architect Robert Adam. His intricate design has gone down in history as one of the unqualified successes of English Palladianism. To this day, the bridge unquestionably injects a sense of pride into the city. But how much do we really know about the Grade I-listed masterpiece?
The Pulteneys
We start with the family from which the bridge takes its name – the Pulteneys. The idea of bridging the gap between Bath and Bathwick first came to light when Frances Pulteney inherited the family’s fortune and acquired the 600-acre Bathwick estate in October 1767. It had been passed down from her first cousin once removed, William Pulteney – the first Earl of Bath –to his brother, General Henry Pulteney, and then to Frances, as the General died childless just three years after acquiring it.
Up until 1767, Bathwick had been a rural parish. The River Avon separated the estate from the city and a ferry was the only way to travel between the two. Bathwick’s potential, however, was clear to see. As Bath continued to grow exponentially during the 18th century, Bathwick became an increasingly attractive piece of land to anyone who had a developer’s eye.
When Frances inherited the estate in 1767, her husband – Edinburgh lawyer and politician, Sir William Pulteney, known as William Johnstone until his marriage to Frances – was eager to reap the monetary rewards that would come with a new, bustling suburb of an already lucrative city. At the time, Pulteney was reputedly the wealthiest man in Britain, profiting from slave plantations in North America and investing in building developments in Bath and beyond. It became apparent that if the Pulteneys were going to financially benefit from the estate, a connection to the city needed to be established.
Just four months after the General died, Pulteney began conferring with Bath City Council and Bath Corporation about his proposals to build a bridge.
The plans
Luckily for Pulteney, the corporation’s ideas complemented his own and, once he had convinced his wife’s trustees of the soundness of his plan, the next step was an Act of Parliament. Since Bathwick was held in trust, lands on the estate could not be sold or mortgaged without involving Parliament. As it transpired, this was a lengthy and expensive process, which had to be twice repeated. Nevertheless, the first act was passed in 1769, which enabled the trustees to raise £3,000 through mortgage to finance the scheme for a toll-free bridge and access street.
At first, Pulteney was contemplating just a simple, functional bridge, designed by Bristol architect, Thomas Paty. Paty's own estimate for the work was £4,569, which would be around £838,811 in today’s money. However, Pulteney soon grew more ambitious and began toying with the idea of adding shops. He consulted local builders John Lowther and Richard Reed about his plans to add two shops at each end of the bridge. They estimated the cost to be £2,389. Much to Pulteney’s delight, it looked as though £3,000 would at least be enough to start building.
Pulteney was keen to move quickly. The stonemasons estimated that they could complete the bridge by September 1770 – in just one year – if the contract was made out in time to get the pillars above water before winter. The records show, however, that by the summer of 1770, the plans had undergone a dramatic change and renowned architects Robert and James Adam were now directing the build.
The Adam brothers
Robert and James Adam were the sons of Scotland’s foremost architect of the time, William Adam. They trained under their father before embarking on their Grand Tour through Europe. Here, they spent many years studying some of the continent’s most notable pieces of architecture, learning from some of the greatest creators, thinkers and designers of their time. Upon their return to Britain, the brothers established a practice in London. They made their name in the capital and Robert held the post of Architect of the King's Works from 1761 to 1769.
Initially, the brothers were commissioned to work on designs for the new town at Bathwick but it appears that Pulteney soon entrusted them with his riverside plans. Adam adapted Paty’s original design and began to envisage an elegant structure lined with shops – architecture that he undoubtedly became familiar with on his European travels. After all, he could scarcely have escaped noticing the Ponte Vecchio and the Rialto Bridge while touring through Italy.
One of the rejected classical designs for Venice’s Rialto Bridge was by 16th-century architect Andrea Palladio, widely considered as one of the most influential architects in history. His work is characterised by classical forms, symmetry, and strict proportions. In 1570, Palladio published his rejected plans in his influential treatise of his own work, Quattro libri. These designs could not have gone unnoticed by Adam, and the Pulteney Bridge is clearly reminiscent of Palladio’s work.
The build
The construction of the bridge officially started in 1770. Over the next four years, the trustees were persuaded to petition for two more acts of Parliament. Adam revised Paty’s original plan and expanded the bridge by 20 feet, which inevitably incurred more costs. The total cost of the bridge came in at £11,000, which would have been around £2,019,464 today. The first print of the bridge was dated 30 November 1773, by which time some of the shops were fit for business, but tenants for the remainder were sought from January 1774.
The alterations
After four years of work, Pulteney Bridge stood for less than 20 years in the form Adam had designed. In 1792, alterations were made during which the bridge was widened to 58 feet and the shops converted from 16 small structures to six large ones.
The floods in 1799 and 1800 wrecked the north side of the bridge, which had been constructed with inadequate support. There was talk that Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, Thomas Telford, wanted to replace the bridge with a singlespan cast iron bridge, but John Pinch, senior surveyor to the Pulteney estate, decided to rebuild it using a less ambitious version of Adam's creation.
Over time, 19th-century shopkeepers changed the structure and appearance of their premises and the western end pavilion on the south side was demolished for road widening. Its replacement was not an exact replica of the original.
Later, in 1936, the bridge was given the status of ancient monument, meaning that it was worthy of preservation and study due
Today, Pulteney Bridge Flowers sits at the centre of Bath’s iconic structure
to archaeological or heritage interest. The city council bought several of the shops and made plans for the restoration of the original façade, which was completed in time for the 1951 Festival of Britain.
In 1955, the bridge’s status changed again from ancient monument to Grade-I listed building, which is how it stands today. This means that the bridge is deemed to be of exceptional interest, and further work was carried out to repair the underside soffits of all three arches.
In 2009, Bath and North East Somerset Council put forward a proposal to close the bridge to motor traffic and convert it to a pedestrianised zone, but the plan was abandoned in September 2011. Today, it remains a large source of income for the council, due to it being the most fined bus lane in Bath.
The legacy of the Pulteney family is sewn into the very fabric of the city. Great Pulteney Street, reputed to be the longest boulevard of its kind in Europe, is another prominent reminder of the family’s contribution to Bath. William Pulteney also ensured that his two daughters were memorialised in architecture. We remember them in the form of Laura Place and Henrietta Street.
Pulteney Bridge, like its three counterparts in Italy and Germany, is an architectural and engineering wonder of the world. Today, it is celebrated as an important piece of heritage and a significant tourist attraction. It is visited for its spectacular views, intricate stonework and bustling street, but this alone is not what makes the iconic structure so invaluable. Ultimately, the bridge acted as the connective tissue binding two suburbs of a historic city, each full of intrigue, character and atmosphere. Pulteney Bridge allowed Bath to blossom into the city we know and love today; and for that reason, we hold it dear. The Krämerbrücke, built in 1325, has been continuously inhabited for over 500 years: longer than any other bridge in Europe. It was once part of the Via Regia, a medieval trade and pilgrims' road network, which linked Rome with the Baltic Sea
The Ponte Vecchio spans the Arno at its narrowest point. The stone bridge was built in 1345 and is regarded as one of Florence’s most romantic spots BELOW: The Rialto Bridge in Venice is the oldest of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal. Palladio and Michelangelo were both considered as designers but a single span designed by Antonio da Ponte, was completed in 1591
