Pero's Bridge

Pero's Bridge (grid reference ST585726) is a pedestrian bascule bridge that spans St Augustine's Reach in Bristol Harbour, Bristol, England. It links Queen Square and Millennium Square.

Structure

The bridge is composed of three spans; 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 counterweights for the lifting section, leading it to be commonly known as the Horned Bridge or Shrek's Bridge as the counterweights resemble the ears of the animated star of the eponymous film.

Pero

The bridge is named after Pero, also known as Pero Jones, who lived from around 1753 to 1798, arriving in Bristol probably from the Caribbean Island of Nevis in 1783, as the slave of the merchant John Pinney (1740–1818) at 5 Great George Street.

History

The bridge was designed by the Irish artist Eilis O'Connell, in conjunction with Ove Arup & Partners engineers. It was formally opened in 1999 by Paul Boateng MP, then a Home Office minister. The name of the bridge was attacked by then Liberal Democrat councillor Stephen Williams. He condemned the decision as "gesture politics". Eilis O'Connell commented "The council can call it what they want, but Pero's Bridge sounds a bit political." Hundreds of people now attach padlocks to the bridge as a sign of affection to each other.

Dimensions

The length of the lifting span is 11 metres (36 ft) and a 9 metres (30 ft) navigation channel is provided.

Text imported from Wikipedia article "Pero''s Bridge" and modified on July 23, 2019 according to the CC-BY-SA 4.0 International license.