London SE1 > News & Features > August 1999

All change for Hungerford Bridge

Hungerford Bridge is to undergo a transformation with a walkway on both sides of the railway bridge.

The crossing dates from 1845 when when Isambard Kingdom Brunel designed a suspension footbridge to serve Hungerford Market at Charing Cross. Shortly afterwards the market became the site for the new Charing Cross Station and a new bridge was built replacing the suspension bridge which was taken to Bristol to become part of Clifton Suspension Bridge. The iron railway crossing included a foot crossing as part of the planning agreement although the railway company claimed that few crossed the old bridge due to the river's stench. One of the brick Brunel piers, known as the Surrey Pier, remains near the South Bank and this will be restored and opened up as a public passage for those wishing to move from the upstream to the downstream footbridge. The last time there was a footbridge on both sides was 1951 when a Baily Bridge was built on the upstream side to carry visitors to the Festival of Britain.

The Jubilee Walkway will be diverted on to long bridges to pass through the Surrey Pier. Work is due to begin in October with construction of the upstream footbridge completed in December 2000 and the downstream side rebuilt by April 2001.

Meanwhile the Millennium Bridge Trust is looking for individuals to join the Millennium Bridge 2000 Club and have their names recorded on the new Bankside bridge's structure for posterity. A cheque for £500 will secure your place in history. For details write to the Trust at 3 Burlington Gardens, London W1X 1LE. For more on the Millennium Bridge see www.mbridge.ft.com