Pulteney Bridge, Bath

Pulteney Bridge is a bridge that crosses the River Avon, located in Bath, England and completed in 1773. It was designed by Robert Adam and is one of only four bridges in the world with shops across the full span on both sides. Shops located on the bridge include a flower shop, an antique map shop, and a juice bar. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 424 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2123 × 2999 pixel, file size: 3. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 424 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2123 × 2999 pixel, file size: 3. ... Bath is a city in Somerset, England most famous for its baths fed by three hot springs. ... A log bridge in the French Alps near Vallorcine. ... The Avon Gorge and Clifton Suspension Bridge The River Avon is a river in the south west of England. ... Bath is a city in Somerset, England most famous for its baths fed by three hot springs. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the  United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... 1773 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Robert Adam Robert Adam (3 July 1728 - 3 March 1792) was a Scottish architect, interior designer and furniture designer, born in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland. ...

It is named after Frances Pulteney, heiress in 1767 of the Bathwick estate across the river from Bath. Bathwick was a simple village in a rural setting, but Frances's husband William Johnstone Pulteney could see its potential. He made plans to create a new town, which would become a suburb to the historic city of Bath. First he needed a better river crossing than the existing ferry. Hence the bridge. Bathwick is an electoral ward in the City of Bath, England, on the opposite bank of the River Avon to the historic city centre. ... Sir William Johnstone Pulteney (October 1729 – 30 May 1805) was an eminent Scottish lawyer, Member of Parliament, and at one time reputedly the wealthiest man in Great Britain. ...

Pulteney Bridge, view from the north side

Pulteney approached the brothers Robert and William Adam with his new town in mind, but Robert Adam then became involved in the design of the bridge. In his hands the simple construction envisaged by Pulteney became an elegant structure lined with shops. Adam had visited both Florence and Venice, where he would have seen the Ponte Vecchio and the Ponte di Rialto. But Adam's design more closely followed Andrea Palladio's rejected design for the Rialto. View of Pulteney Bridge from the north, showing ad hoc development of premises on the bridge ( Photograph of Pulteney Bridge, Bath. ... View of Pulteney Bridge from the north, showing ad hoc development of premises on the bridge ( Photograph of Pulteney Bridge, Bath. ... William Adam (1689–June 24, 1748) was a Scottish architect, mason, and entrepreneur. ... Florence (Italian: ) is the capital city of the region of Tuscany, Italy. ... Venice (Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venezsia, Latin: Venetia) is a city in northern Italy, the capital of region Veneto, and has a population of 271,663 (census estimate January 1, 2004). ... Ponte Vecchio over the Arno, Florence. ... The Rialto Bridge The Rialto Bridge (Italian: Ponte di Rialto) spans the Grand Canal in Venice. ... Andrea Palladio (November 30, 1508 – August 19, 1580), was an Italian architect, widely considered the most influential person in the history of Western architecture. ...

Pulteney Bridge stood for less than 20 years in the form that Adam created. In 1792 alterations to enlarge the shops marred the elegance of the façades. Floods in 1799 and 1800 wrecked the north side of the bridge, which had been constructed with inadequate support. It was rebuilt by John Pinch senior, surveyor to the Pulteney estate, in a less ambitious version of Adam's design. 19th-century shopkeepers altered windows, or cantilevered out over the river as the fancy took them. The western end pavilion on the south side was demolished in 1903 for road widening and its replacement was not an exact match. John Pinch the elder and John Pinch the younger were architects, father and son, working mainly in the city of Bath, England. ...

The tide turned in the twentieth century, with restorations in 1951 and 1975. Pulteney Bridge could not be returned to its original form, but it was given back its dignity. However, in local Bath legend the story still remains, that the bridge was designed with an old woman in mind - one that had washed her face, but forgotten to wipe her 'arse' (vernacular expression for posterior). This is apparently due to the bridge's pristine frontage, yet rather shabby behind. The verifiability of this legend is uncertain. It is now one of the best-known buildings in a city famed for its Georgian architecture. A Georgian house in Salisbury Georgian architecture is the name given in English-speaking countries to the architectural styles current between about 1720 and 1840, named after the four British monarchs named George. ...

References

• Jean Manco, Pulteney Bridge, Architectural History, 38 (1995) JSTOR

External links

• Jean Manco, Pulteney Bridge
• Pulteney Bridge independent Article and photographs
• Pulteney Bridge in the Structurae database
• 360° Movie of The Pulteney Bridge Area

Coordinates: 51°22′59″N 2°21′28″W / 51.38306, -2.35778 Structurae is an on-line database containing works of structural and civil engineering of all kinds such as Bridges, High-rise buildings, towers, dams, etc. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...