Pulteney Bridge

Why it matters

Robert Adam reworked earlier plans by Thomas Paty, and his design echoes Palladio's unbuilt scheme for the Rialto in Venice. Work began in 1769 and the bridge was complete by 1774. Its company is small: the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, the Rialto and the Krämerbrücke in Erfurt are the only other bridges with shops running the full length on both sides.

A bridge that keeps changing

What you see is not quite Adam's original. The bridge was widened in 1792, floods in 1799 and 1800 wrecked the north side, and John Pinch rebuilt it in a simpler version of the design. Shopkeepers later hung rooms out over the river on cantilevers, which is why the downstream side looks so uneven. The street front was restored in 1951 for the Festival of Britain.

How to see it

Walking across, it feels like an ordinary short street of small shops, so the best views are from the riverside. Look from Grand Parade or the gardens below to see the arches above the stepped Pulteney Weir, built between 1968 and 1972 as a flood-prevention scheme and used as a location in the 2012 film Les Misérables. From the east end, Great Pulteney Street runs straight towards the Holburne Museum.

Highlights

• Designed by Robert Adam, completed by 1774
• Grade I listed
• Shops along its full span on both sides, one of four such bridges in the world
• Overlooks the stepped Pulteney Weir
• Weir featured in the 2012 film Les Misérables

Good to know

• The bridge is a public street, so there is no charge to walk across.
• The classic view of the arches and weir is from the riverside rather than from the bridge itself.

Frequently asked questions