Kingsweston Iron Bridge: 'Much-loved' Bristol footbridge reopens nine years after it first shut

The ‘much-loved’ pedestrian link, between Blaise Castle Estate and Kingsweston Fields, has been restored and raised in a £1.1m project by Bristol City Council.

The Grade II listed footbridge, which spans Kings Weston Road in Sea Mills, was closed in 2015 after a series of collisions involving oversized trucks caused major structural damage and made the bridge unstable and unsafe.  

Restoration work started in November 2023 with the bridge being dismantled and transported to a workshop in Bristol to be repaired off-site.

To raise the bridges’ position, work then took place to build up the stone abutments, which support the structure, and foundations either side of the bridge, by just over one metre.

Once complete, the bridge was craned into its newly raised position in April this year. The final stage of the works was to build the steps and handrails up to the bridge at either end.

Councillor Ed Plowden, chair of the council’s transport and connectivity committee, said: “I am delighted to see Kingsweston Iron Bridge open once again after nine years.

“I know local people and visitors to the area will be thrilled to have this important connection back in use.

“Well done to the project team for leading a restoration project that is both sensitive to its historic structure and its setting.

“These works have restored this beautiful historic footbridge, raising it out of harm’s way of HGVs, and I am sure it will be enjoyed both now and by future generations.

“I would like to thank the local people, who use and love this bridge, for their patience whilst we have been making sure we get this right for the long-term future.”

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Ross Simmonds, South West regional director at Historic England added: “The beautiful Kingsweston Iron Bridge has long deserved this restoration.

“We worked hard to help the council reach a positive solution to repair the bridge, giving advice and technical knowledge along the way so it could be restored and made safe again, after many damaging collisions.

“Now this important historic link between Blaise Estate and Kingsweston Fields has been re-established and we’re so pleased to have been able to play a part in securing its future.”

The Kingsweston Iron Bridge restoration is being funded by the council’s Highway Infrastructure Bridge Investments fund.