Banana bridge: The Bristol footbridge that was supposed to be temporary when it was built 140 years ago

One of Bristol’s key footbridges will close tomorrow (May 13) as part of a £2m refit which is planned to take 18 months.

Langton Street Bridge connects south Bristol with the central area and is one of several bridges over the New Cut section of the River Avon that bisects the city.

It was actually built as a temporary bridge in 1883 but it’s still there, albeit in a different location from where it was first erected. When it closes tomorrow, it is unlikely to reopen until the end of 2025.

Known by most people who use it daily simply as the ‘banana bridge’, the yellow-painted structure connecting York Road in Bedminster with Clarence Road in Redcliffe was originally built as a temporary crossing where nearby Bedminster Bridge stands today.

Soon after it was erected in 1883, it was transported on barges at full tide and relocated at Langton Street.

It was originally called Langton Street Bridge but Langton Street was lost after the WW2 bombings around Redcliffe and it was renamed the ‘banana bridge’ locally due to its shape and eventual yellow paint. The name has stuck ever since.

These days, the banana bridge is a busy crossing used by pedestrians moving back and forwards between Totterdown or Victoria Park and Redcliffe or Temple Meads.

There is also plenty of wildlife along the New Cut, with cormorants and black-headed gulls often spotted.

Look closely and you’ll even see mature fig trees on the river bank - these are thought to have grown from fruits discarded by sailors using the river in days gone by.

For a bridge that was supposed to temporary when it was built 140 years ago, the banana bridge has certainly stood the test of time.

Here are eight photos of one of Bristol’s best-loved footbridges.