1845 The first Hungerford Bridge, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, opened in 1845 as a suspension footbridge. The completed bridge was photographed by William Henry Fox Talbot c.1845.
In 1859 the original bridge was bought by the railway company extending the South Eastern Railway into the newly opened Charing Cross railway station. The railway company replaced the suspension bridge with a structure designed by John Hawkshaw, comprising nine spans made of wrought iron lattice girders, which opened in 1864 (Charing Cross Railway Bridge).
Total length: The total length of the bridge was 1,362ft. The main span was 676ft and the deck was 14ft wide. The two masonry piers are built into the structure of the present bridge – Middlesex Pier, adjacent to the north bank, and Surrey Pier, which lies three quarters of the way across towards the south bank – now form part of the 2003 Hungerford footbridge.
Sandys, Carne and Vivian supplied 800 tons of ironwork, including chains, for the bridge.
The chains and saddles from the old bridge were re-used in Bristol’s Clifton Suspension Bridge.
Additional Information
The Hungerford Bridge, in The Life of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Civil Engineer
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