The ‘brilliant’ Bristol bridge that was promised for years but never built

The world-first design would have created a city landmarkA 2007 artist impression of the Mobius Bridge (Image: Bristol Post archive)

Bristol is a city known for its bridges, from Brunel’s world-famous Clifton Suspension Bridge to the busy Peros Bridge that was recently stripped of lovelocks.

Even away from the River Avon or Floating Harbour, our bridges are memorable – not least the ‘wonky’ Cabot Circus bridge that makes everyone feel woozy.

When the rare opportunity arises to create a new crossing, then, there is some pressure on getting the design right. Twenty years ago, that was the challenge for developers of the old Courage Brewery site in Bristol city centre.

With a prime spot overlooking Castle Park, the £255m regeneration lived up to its promise to deliver apartments, offices and shops. We now know it as Finzel’s Reach, home to Left Handed Giant, a food market, a chocolate cafe, wine bar, Lebanese restaurant, Bocabar and more.

It is connected on one side via Castle Bridge, which opened in 2017 as part of the redevelopment to provide pedestrian access. With an eye-catching curved S-shape it was said to cost the developer £2.7 million to build.

However, the design was a pared-back Plan B after the original design had to be scrapped. As Bristol Post reported in 2005, the initial idea was the Mobius Bridge – inspired by the mathematical concept of the one-sided continuous loop of a Möbius strip.

An archived report about Finzels Reach in the Post read: “The development opposite Castle Park includes a state-of-the-art footbridge which will become a new landmark for the city centre. The new bridge for pedestrians and cyclists will be called the Mobius Bridge and will feature a twisting arch.”

An artist impression was released later that year, with the report noting: “The arch of twisted white steel will reflect its surroundings during the day and will be lit up at night. One of the proposals is to have lighting which continuously changes colour. The bridge will be 40 metres long, and five metres across at its widest point.

Artists Impression of the Mobius Bridge for Castle Park released in 2005(Image: Developer HDG Mansur/ architect Julian Hake)

“It has been designed by renowned bridge architect Julian Hake and will be able to be used by both pedestrians and cyclists.” That ambition was repeated in 2007, when the Post reiterated: “The Mobius Bridge, which will join the development to Castle Park, will be a white steel construction in the shape of a twisted cylinder.

“It is hoped the 40-metre bridge, designed by architects Hakes Associates, working with structural engineers Buro Happold, will be a symbol of Bristol’s regeneration. It will be lit up at night and is expected to become one of Bristol’s iconic features.”

Planning consultants said the new bridge would be unique, with one quoted as saying: “There is no other bridge like this in the world. It is steel and glass and light and will be able to change its colour by the minute so the mood of the bridge can change. The design is brilliant.”

A model of the ‘Mobius bridge’ pictured in 2011(Image: Chas Breton)

Unfortunately, then came the 2008-9 recession, which saw construction work grind to a halt on the site. By 2013, the Post reported that the “redevelopment project has been placed into receivership” after being “dogged by financial problems”.

The site was taken over by a different developer and the bridge was redesigned in light of the growing costs. The next mention of the bridge in the Post’s archive is dated 2016, when it reported: “Work has finally started on a new footbridge that will link Castle Park with the Finzels Reach development on the opposite side of the Floating Harbour.

The bridge that was actually built instead was Castle Bridge, pictured here in 2017(Image: Dan Regan )

“The bridge has been planned for more than a decade but is now set to become a reality after the developers of the site appointed a contractor to carry out the building work. The original plans for the footbridge were for an ambitious steel loop called a Mobius which is a never ending spiral shape.

“Planning permission was granted for a bridge more than ten years ago…But plans were shelved when work on Finzels Reach stopped as a result of the recession. Developer Cubex proposed the new design after it bought the Finzels Reach site at the end of 2014.”

A new bridge was announced earlier this year in the Hanham and Keynsham area following years in the pipeline, although funding is yet to be secured.