View source for Cleveland Bridge

{{short description|Bridge in Bath, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2015}}
{{for|the structural engineering and bridge building company|Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company}}
{{Infobox bridge
|bridge_name = Cleveland Bridge
|image       = Cleveland Bridge (geograph 3808880).jpg
|caption     = Cleveland Bridge, January 2014
|alt         = View of Cleveland Bridge
|image_size  = 
|official_name=
|also_known_as=
|crosses     = [[River Avon, Bristol|River Avon]]
|location    = [[Bath, Somerset]], England
|id          =
|design      = 
|mainspan    = 
|length      = 
|height      = 
|width       =
|clearance   =
|clearance_below= 
|traffic=
|open= 1826
|closed=
|toll=
|heritage =[[Listed building|Grade II* listed structure]]
|map_cue=
|map_image=
|map_text=
|map_width=
|coordinates={{Coord|51|23|22|N|2|21|21|W|region:GB_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
}}

'''Cleveland Bridge''' over the [[River Avon, Bristol|River Avon]] is a Grade II* [[listed building]]<ref name="listing">{{National Heritage List for England |num=1394634 |desc=Cleveland Bridge and four former toll houses |access-date=21 November 2023}}</ref> in the [[World Heritage Site]] of [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], England. It is notable for the unusual lodges that adorn each corner in a style that could be likened to miniature [[Greek temple]]s.

==Location==
The bridge links the [[A4 road (Great Britain)|A4]] (London Road) in [[Walcot, Bath|Walcot]] on the north side of the Avon, with the [[A36 road|A36]] in [[Bathwick]], via Bathwick Street at the point where it is joined by St. John's Road.<ref name="landrange172">Landranger Map 172: Bristol & Bath. Published by the [[Ordnance Survey]] {{ISBN|0-319-22772-3}}</ref>

==History==
Cleveland Bridge was built in 1826,<ref name="Date">Inscription on bridge</ref> by [[William Hazledine]] ([[Coalbrookdale]] Ironworks) with [[Henry Goodridge]] as the architect,<ref name="listing"/> on the site of a [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] ferry crossing. Named after [[William FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Cleveland|the 3rd Duke of Cleveland]], it spans the [[River Avon, Bristol|River Avon]] at [[Bathwick]], and enabled further development of [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] Bath to take place on the south side of the river. It was designed by architect [[Henry Goodridge]] to take the traffic of his day, horse-drawn vehicles and pedestrians, and was constructed using the warm golden [[Bath Stone]] and an elegant [[cast iron|cast-iron]] [[arch]]ed span.

[[File:Cleveland Bridge Bath England in 1830 engraving by FP Hay.jpg|thumb|left|'The New Bridge at Bathwick' (1830 engraving by FP Hay)]]

A [[Toll bridge|toll]] house was required to charge users of the bridge for the privilege of crossing. Rather than building merely one, Goodridge decided to install four &mdash; one on each corner &mdash; in order to maintain the absolute [[symmetry]] of his elegant [[neoclassicism|neoclassical]] design. He provided each of these lodges with columns fronting onto the bridge, giving them the appearance of small ancient temples. This is what still gives the bridge its unique appearance today. Only one of the four (Number 1 next to St John's Road) was actually used as a toll house; the rest were always let to private tenants as small dwellings or shops. Given the small size of these dwellings (one room upstairs, two on the middle floor and one that would have flooded each winter in the basement) it seems extraordinary that the 1891 UK [[census]] clearly records a family of three people and two lodgers living in one of the lodges.

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Bathwick Bridge Act 1805
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act to enable the Trustees therein named to erect and build a new Bridge over the River Avon, on the North West Side of the Manor of Bath Wick, in the County of Somerset, to communicate with the Parish of Walcot, and the Road from the City of Bath to London; and also to raise a sufficient Sum of Money for that Purpose, by a Charge on the Trust Estates of the late General Pulteney.
| year                  = 1805
| citation              = [[45 Geo. 3]]. c. ''87''
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 10 July 1805
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = [[Bath Corporation Act 1925]]
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = repealed
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = 
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
The bridge was constructed using funds subscribed by numerous local wealthy citizens to a specially formed Bathwick Bridge Company with a view to investors making a [[return on investment]] through the toll charges. In order to establish the bridge and the company an [[act of Parliament]] was obtained, the '''{{visible anchor|Bathwick Bridge Act 1805}}''' ([[45 Geo. 3]]. c. ''87''), and, in a move which would later prove the undoing of the company, the level of the toll was fixed at one penny. The initial £10,000 cost of building the bridge was provided by a charge of the [[William Vane, 1st Duke of Cleveland|Duke of Cleveland]]'s Bathwick estate. Unfortunately for the [[shareholders]] of the Bathwick Bridge Company, [[inflation]] took hold during the 19th century and, by the early 20th century, a one penny toll was not worth much. By the 1920s, the [[revenues]] from tolls no longer covered the costs of operating and maintaining the bridge.

The [[Bath Corporation Act 1925]] ([[15 & 16 Geo. 5]]. c. xciii) allowed the [[city council]] to take over the bridge from the now bankrupt Bathwick Bridge Company. To much celebration, it was freed it from tolls for all traffic on 20 June 1927 and extensively restored during 1928 and 1929. Cleveland Bridge is still free to use today, although the next bridge upstream at [[Bathampton]] is one of the UK's few remaining privately owned toll bridges.

After the [[World War II|Second World War]], a shortage of cash and materials and a general lack of interest in Bath's architecture meant that the fabric of the bridge was neglected. By the 1980s, three out of four of the lodges were derelict and unfit for human habitation. Concerned at the neglect of this unique structure by its owners, [[Bath and North East Somerset]] Council, a group of local individuals formed a charity (the ''Bath Historical Buildings Trust'') to take a very long lease on three of the lodges and to restore them so that they could once again become homes for people. This work is almost complete.

In 2019 a survey showed some structural parts were near end of life, resulting in a temporary 18-tonne weight restriction being imposed from January 2020.<ref name=bathchron-20191106>{{cite news |url=https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/weight-limit-historically-significant-bridge-3508289 |title=Weight limit on 'historically significant' bridge to divert hundreds of lorries |last=Sumner |first=Stephen |newspaper=Bath Chronicle |date=6 November 2019 |accessdate=9 November 2019}}</ref>  Major repair work will be carried out in 2021, assisted by £3.5 million of [[Department for Transport]] funding, involving the temporary closure of the bridge.<ref name=bathecho-20201023>{{cite news |url=https://www.bathecho.co.uk/news/community/work-repair-cleveland-bridge-begin-next-year-92159/ |title=Work on repairing Cleveland Bridge to begin next year following approval |newspaper=Bath Echo |date=23 October 2020 |access-date=24 October 2020}}</ref> During the works more extensive problems were found; the hanger bars uncommon in bridge design, which support the main trusses, were unexpectedly found to be corroded.<ref name=somersetlive-20220414>{{cite news |url=https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/local-news/repairing-historic-bath-bridge-proving-6947974 |title=Repairing historic Bath bridge is proving to be a 'technical challenge' |last=Elgee |first=Emma |website=SomersetLive |publisher=Reach |date=14 April 2022 |access-date=14 April 2022}}</ref>

==Capacity==
[[File:Cleveland Bridge In Rush Hour.jpg|thumb|Cleveland Bridge during Bath's rush hour]]
Around the same time that the bridge was freed from toll, heavier vehicles powered by the [[internal combustion engine]] were making their way onto the roads. The slender cast iron span of Cleveland Bridge required reinforcement. Four reinforced concrete trusses were inserted under the roadway around 1929, giving it the strength which today allows it to carry 38 tonne trucks. Bath has no eastern bypass, so the bridge has become a heavily used "Euro route" for large trucks on their way from Britain's south coast ports to the docks further north. High volumes of local traffic at peak travelling times make this a regular traffic slow spot in the mornings and evenings, carrying 17,000 vehicles a day.<ref name=bathchron-20191106/>

==Emergency services connection==
Despite the frequent traffic jams on Cleveland Bridge, Bath's only [[Fire Brigade|fire]] and [[ambulance]] stations are located next to it and the drivers of emergency vehicles are assertive in expressing their need  to cross on the way to respond to an emergency call. The connection between the bridge and these services is long established because the lodge formerly used as a toll house (Number 1) was the 999 response centre for the city of Bath for some time after the [[Second World War]].

==The bridge today==
The distinctive lodges of Cleveland Bridge are now restored to their former glory and are back in use as homes. One, however, remains a working premises. Sculptures by ceramic artist [[Peter Hayes (sculptor)|Peter Hayes]] are on display around the world but he still works from a studio below his gallery at lodge number 2. His techniques for creating a [[patina]] include immersing half-completed pieces for a period of months in the river, where they absorb [[minerals]] from the water.

== References ==
{{Commons category}}
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Grade II* listed buildings in Bath, Somerset]]
[[Category:Bridges in Somerset]]
[[Category:Bridges completed in 1826]]
[[Category:Former toll bridges in England]]
[[Category:Grade II* listed bridges in England]]
[[Category:1826 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Bridges across the River Avon, Bristol]]