Art / News
Bristol’s Rainbow Bridge is rainbow again
The Rainbow Bridge once again lives up to its name following a painting session from the local community living on both sides of the span connecting Montpelier and St Andrew’s.
It is known as the Rainbow Bridge but in early 2020 was painted in a particularly dreary shade of battleship grey.
Grey has now been replaced with all of the colours of the rainbow and many gradients in between as 28 households were each given a shade and two opposite panels to paint, as well as now becoming custodians of their panels in order to keep the colours in tip-top condition in the future.
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The official name of the Rainbow Bridge is the Fairfield Footbridge which was constructed in 1904 and had the arches on either side of it added to mark its centenary in 2004.
On Sunday, there were more celebrations as the group of residents joined forces for a painting session; fuelled by a barbecue and serenaded by a brass band.
One person who lives nearby and regularly uses the bridge is musician Roni Size, who posted a video of the painting session on his Instagram stories.
Dozens of local residents took part in the painting session on Sunday – photo: Tabitha Ross
“The Rainbow Bridge has been a landmark for this neighbourhood and the city in general,” James Sadri, one of the organisers of the event, told Bristol24/7.
“For the last five years, we’ve been thinking of how do we restore the rainbow… We just thought, why don’t we don’t it ourselves?”
Sadri, 45, who lives on Hurlingham Road, added: “This bridge belongs to Bristol street artists. It’s a real canvas for some of the best talent in the city.
“We want it to remain that way so this is like a base coat. Art is always welcome and we want people to view it as a place to bring the best of Bristol’s creative talent.”
The day was a “real positive experience for everyone involved” said another of the event’s organisers, Harry Newington, 42, who also lives on Hurlingham Road and gave a shout-out to Donna at the Dulux Decorator Centre on Stokes Croft from where all of the paint in various shades was purchased.
“This is the heart of our community. It’s a great spot and I’m so glad that it has been restored.”
All photos: Tabitha Ross
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