Pero's Bridge
Encyclopedia
Pero's Bridge is a pedestrian, bascule bridge
Bascule bridge
A bascule bridge is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span, or "leaf," throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic....

 at St Augustine's Reach in Bristol Harbour
Bristol Harbour
Bristol Harbour is the harbour in the city of Bristol, England. The harbour covers an area of . It has existed since the 13th century but was developed into its current form in the early 19th century by installing lock gates on a tidal stretch of the River Avon in the centre of the city and...

. It links Queen Square
Queen Square, Bristol
Queen Square is a garden square in the centre of Bristol, England. It was originally a fashionable residential address, but now most of the buildings are in office use....

 and Millennium Square
Millennium Square (Bristol)
Millennium Square is a location in the centre of Bristol, England. It was built as part of the At Bristol development, and has become a popular public area.-Attractions:...

.

Structure

The bridge is composed of three spans
Span (architecture)
Span is the distance between two intermediate supports for a structure, e.g. a beam or a bridge.A span can be closed by a solid beam or of a rope...

; the two outer ones are fixed and the central section can be raised to provide a navigation channel in the harbour. The most distinctive features of the bridge are the pair of horn-shaped sculptures which act as counterweight
Counterweight
A counterweight is an equivalent counterbalancing weight that balances a load.-Uses:A counterweight is often used in traction lifts , cranes and funfair rides...

s for the lifting section, leading it to be commonly known as the Horned Bridge.

Pero

The bridge is named after "Pero" who lived from around 1753 to 1798, arriving in Bristol probably from the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

 Island of Nevis
Nevis
Nevis is an island in the Caribbean Sea, located near the northern end of the Lesser Antilles archipelago, about 350 km east-southeast of Puerto Rico and 80 km west of Antigua. The 93 km² island is part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies...

 in 1783, as the slave of the merchant John Pinney (1740–1818) at 5 Great George Street
Georgian House, Bristol
The Georgian House is a historic building at 7 Great George Street, Bristol, England. It is open to the public and has been a branch of Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery since it was presented to the city as a museum in 1937.- History :...

.

History

The bridge was designed by the Irish artist Eilis O'Connell, in conjunction with Ove Arup & Partners
Arup
Arup is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment. The firm is present in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the...

engineers and opened in 1999.

Dimensions

Length of lifting span (11m)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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