About Us

You may not know this, but Clifton Suspension Bridge is actually private property. It has been owned and run for the last 70 years by a charitable trust; the Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust. The Trust does not receive any income, other than that raised through the toll for the maintenance and upkeep of the bridge: in fact that is funded entirely by the toll you pay when you cross in your vehicle. Each time you make that drive, you are helping to care for one of Europe’s few remaining historic iron chain suspension bridges, and one of Bristol’s most loved landmarks – thank you!

Permission to build a bridge and to charge tolls to pay for its construction and upkeep was originally granted by an Act of Parliament in 1830. A similar legal framework is still in place today. The Clifton Suspension Bridge Act of 1952 sets out how the Bridge is managed and run.

Between 1861 and 1953, the Bridge was run by the Clifton Suspension Bridge Company, which was set up by engineers John Hawkshaw and William Henry Barlow to complete the construction of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s abandoned dream following his death in 1859.

In December 1952 all the company shareholders were bought out and the organisation became a Trust. By this time the aging iron bridge was having to cope with increasing motor traffic so the 1952 Act incorporated a toll to pay for the mounting costs of maintaining and operating Bristol’s unique landmark.
Today, it is the Trust’s mission to preserve the Bridge “in perpetuity, to the highest possible standards, for the utility of the public.” The Trust’s work is overseen by a group of twelve specially-appointed Trustees who work on a voluntary basis.

The Act of 1952 specifies that two Trustees representing Bristol City Council and North Somerset Council sit on the board. The other Trustees are chosen for their specialist skills, such as engineering, and must live within a 20 mile radius of the famous grade-1 listed structure. There is a longstanding tradition of at least one Trustee being an academic engineer from Bristol University. Trustees have included renowned civil engineers, Professor Robert M. Ferrier, Professor Andrew Robertson, and Sir Professor Alfred Grenville Pugsley. The Trustees appoint a Bridge Master who is paid to manage the day-to-day running of the Bridge. The current Bridge Master is Chartered Civil Engineer Trish Johnson, the first woman to be appointed to the role.

The Trust’s 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 an 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).

This year – 2023 – Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust is 70 years old. That Brunel’s original 159-year-old wrought iron historical monument can still cope with today’s traffic use is testament to the Trust’s careful stewardship over the years.

Collecting Your Feedback

Booking a tour or workshop experience? Following your visit, we’ll send you a link to an online survey we’re conducting to help us learn more about our audiences/visitors and how we can give you the best possible experience. The survey should take less than five minutes to complete.

Our non-profit organization relies on SurveyHero.com for creating surveys.