News / clifton suspension bridge
Suspension Bridge’s new toll houses open for business
New toll houses for the Clifton Suspension Bridge are due to be officially opened.
The new buildings on both the Bristol and Leigh Woods sides of the bridge aim to provide a compact yet comfortable working environment for the team of bridge attendants.
Operating 24 hours a day for 365 days of the year, the new toll houses are also more energy efficient structures that better complement Brunel’s world famous design.
A seven-month project involved the demolition of the outdated 1950s toll booths on the Clifton side and an additional 1970s building on the Leigh Woods side.
The Grade I listed Victorian toll houses on the Leigh Woods approach have been retained and carefully refurbished, alongside a new building
The Clifton toll house was due to be officially opened on Wednesday by Peaches Golding, lord lieutenant of the City & County of Bristol.
Dan Courtney, from architects Purcell who designed the new buildings, said: “Working in the shadow of Brunel’s suspension bridge meant that we were constantly aware of our responsibility to complement the dramatic context of the new toll houses.”
Bridge master Trish Johnson added: “The bridge is a Grade I-listed structure and 154 years old, which requires ongoing work to make sure it can continue to operate effectively and meet modern day needs.
“The new toll houses improve the setting of the bridge and also provide better working conditions for our attendants, who do a fantastic job as curators of the bridge, round the clock and in all weathers.
“This has been an exciting but also an extremely challenging project to deliver from design through to completion.”
Photos by Edmund Dabney
Read more: Could Brunel’s ‘other’ bridge be brought back into life?
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