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About Us

Clifton Suspension Bridge is a special part of Bristol’s heritage, symbolising the city for residents and visitors. The Bridge has always operated as a toll bridge and has been maintained and managed by the Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust, an independent, not-for-profit charitable trust (no.205658) since 1953.

With no local or central government funding, the Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust ensures that all toll crossing money is used for the upkeep of the bridge, a historic structure that needs constant expert management and maintenance in order to keep running.

Twelve voluntary Trustees are accountable for Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust. Day-to-day management of the bridge is overseen by Bridge Master Trish Johnson, a Chartered Civil Engineer responsible for maintenance and preservation of the bridge. Our small team of staff and volunteers includes Bridge Attendants, who keep the bridge operational 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; the Visitor Services team who look after historical records and artefacts and promote knowledge, awareness and understanding of the Clifton Suspension Bridge; and our Admin team, who keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes.

The Visitor Centre is funded by your donations. The Visitor Centre Volunteers provide a warm welcome to visitors, locals and schools, whether crossing the bridge or keen to learn more about its history. Their role is to educate and inspire, using the Clifton Suspension Bridge and Isambard Kingdom Brunel as an engaging way to learning more about history and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEAM).

Contact Us

Registered Charity Number: 205658

Byelaws

By order of the Bridge Master:

Jobs & Volunteering

Since 1st January 1953 the Clifton Suspension Bridge has been managed and maintained by the Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust (CSBT), a not-for-profit charity. The Trust does not receive any local or national government funding but must raise monies to preserve the bridge in perpetuity to the highest possible standards. An Act of Parliament ensures that toll money collected from bridge crossings is used specifically to achieve this aim.

Maintenance

Keeping the Grade 1 Listed Clifton Suspension Bridge in top condition is a year-round task.

Support Us

There’s so much more to discover about the history of the Clifton Suspension Bridge. By making a donation, you could help fund new exhibits and displays in our Visitor Centre and keep it free to all visitors.

Privacy and Cookies Policy

The Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust (CSBT) is committed to respecting your privacy.

Events & Hire

The Trustees and Bridge Master consider requests for events on the bridge on an individual basis, depending on their impact to bridge users and the ongoing maintenance of the bridge.

Photography and Drones

The Trustees and Bridge Master would consider requests for filming and events on the bridge on an individual basis, depending on their impact to bridge users and the ongoing maintenance of the bridge.
Trustee
Representative Trustee for Bristol City Council: Councillor Tom Brook MEng (Hons) AMIMechE

Tom is a Bristol City Councillor, representing the ward of Bishopston & Ashley Down. He was first elected in 2016, has served on a range…

Trustee
Representative Trustee for North Somerset Council: Councillor Ashley Cartman
Trustee
Valerie Harland MInstF

Valerie is a professional fundraiser with over 30 years’ experience, gained in the UK and New Zealand. She has a particular interest in heritage, and…

Trustee
John Benson BSc MRICS

John is Chartered Surveyor and Partner of Alder King LLP and has been active in the commercial property investment and development market for 30 years.…

Trustee
Dr Steve Denton MA PhD FREng, FICE, FIStructE

Steve Denton is Head of Civil, Bridge and Ground Engineering at WSP, leading a unit of over 600 staff in the UK, and is a…

Trustee
Ian Jenkins BSc (Hons), BArch (Hons) Bath, RIBA, ARB, SPAB

Director & Architect, AWW inspired environments Ian is a Chartered Architect with 34 years’ experience. As an equity shareholder and owner in AWW, he has…

Trustee
Professor Colin Taylor BSc PhD CEng FICE

Colin is Emeritus Professor of Earthquake Engineering in the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Bristol. At the age of 8, he visited the Forth…

Trustee
Ann Metherall BSc CEng FICE

Ann is a Partner at Burges Salmon and part of its Dispute Resolution team. She also heads its Health and Safety practice. For 11 years…

Trustee
Will Mather

After a degree in Mathematics, Will qualified as an actuary and then spent most of his career being responsible for the investments of a large…

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