Castle Bridge, Bristol

The award-winning Castle Bridge elegantly links Finzels Reach and Castle Park, providing a vital connection in central Bristol

A cityscape with a river and a curved pedestrian bridge, surrounded by trees, green spaces, and modern buildings under a cloudy sky.

Construction workers build a brick building next to a canal, with scaffolding and cranes, in an urban area.

Modern pedestrian bridge spanning over a river with a cityscape and church steeple in the background.

Aerial view of a city with a canal, modern and historic buildings, and a walking bridge over the water.

Construction site along a river with a barge, a crane, and an old brick building with a sign advertising a residential development.

A modern pedestrian bridge curves over a river with an old brick building and a stone wall on one side. The sky is overcast, and leafless trees are visible in the background.

Aerial view of a city park with a river running through it, featuring a modern pedestrian bridge, historic church, blooming cherry trees, and surrounding buildings.

Award Winning Landmark Contemporary Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge

Bristol Civic Society – Design Award

Institute of Civil Engineers South West Award

With its elegant, serpentine form arching gracefully over the river, the award-winning Castle Bridge provides a vital connection between Finzels Reach and Castle Park in the heart of Bristol.

This striking 91-metre-long, 4-metre-wide S-shaped bridge is a bespoke structure designed for both pedestrians and cyclists. Spanning Bristol’s Floating Harbour, it links the vibrant development at Hawkins Lane with the green open space of Castle Park, offering seamless access to the Bristol Shopping Quarter, Old City, and the nearby Bristol Ferry landing station.

The bridge’s unique sinuous alignment was purposefully engineered to maximise its length, allowing for a gentle gradient from either side while ensuring the required clearance over the navigable waterway below. This design delivers both functionality and aesthetic impact, complementing the surrounding landscape.

Castle Bridge features a timber deck, sculpted cladding, and integrated feature lighting that enhance its visual appeal both by day and night. Its construction involved significant technical challenges, with piled foundations, concrete supports, and 20-tonne fabricated steel sections all installed using jack-up barges and floating pontoons.

A celebrated addition to Bristol’s infrastructure, Castle Bridge is a testament to innovative engineering, sensitive design, and the city’s commitment to enhancing connectivity while respecting its historic environment.

Castle Bridge will be a lasting legacy from Bristol’s year as European Green Capital and we are committed to creating a bridge that will be enjoyed by all users for many years to come.

Gavin Bridge - ex-Director, Cubex