The project of the Belgian architectural and engineering bureau Ney & Partners, developed jointly with the British William Matthews Associates, was commissioned by the English Heritage agency for the protection of monuments following a large international competition in 2016: Archi.ru wrote about its finalists here.
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zooming 1/4 Tintagel Castle Pedestrian Bridge Photo © English Heritage - David Levene
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zooming 2/4 Tintagel Castle Pedestrian Bridge Photo © English Heritage - David Levene
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zooming 3/4 Tintagel Castle Pedestrian Bridge Photo © English Heritage - David Levene
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zooming 4/4 Tintagel Castle Pedestrian Bridge Photo © English Heritage - David Levene
A single-span bridge is thrown at an altitude of 57 meters above sea level between the mainland and the so-called Island. The isthmus passing at the same level was destroyed by the ocean and winds back in the 15th – 16th centuries, so visitors had to go down steep stairs to cross the low bridge, and then go up again. The bridge was designed for one-way traffic, and, coupled with the stairs, presented great difficulty for many of the nearly 250,000 tourists who visited the castle every year - and for some history buffs, it made a visit impossible at all. The problem was, among other things, queues and traffic jams.
The new bridge is wider and allows you to avoid stairs, in addition, it serves as a panoramic platform for viewing the coast, the Atlantic Ocean and the ruins of the castle, and also allows you to visit both parts of the medieval building at once: the remains of the gate are located on the mainland, and the main structures on the Island. The Cornish name of the castle, Din Tagell, "fortress of a narrow entrance", means this feature: behind the gate began an isthmus, which could be easily defended even by a small garrison.
For the architects and the customer, careful handling of the landscape was important - Tintagel (Tintagel) is at the same time a historical monument (an important shopping center of the 5th-7th centuries and a castle
Richard, Earl of Cornwall in the 13th century), nature (a protected area of special beauty) and culture - the scene of the legends about King Arthur, as well as about Tristan and Isolde.
The bridge is 28 meters higher than the old tourist ferry, and its span is 68.5 meters - these are two consoles with a gap of 40 millimeters. The gap marks the border between past and present, reality and legend, mainland and Island. With a width of 2.4 m, the bridge is designed for simultaneous movement in both directions.
All parts of the structure were manufactured in Plymouth. The structure of two consoles allowed for gradual build-up during installation without the use of temporary supports. Near the banks, the height of the bridge is 4.5 m, in the center it is reduced to 1.7 m. Painted steel (supporting structure) and stainless steel Duplex (fence) were chosen as materials. The railings are made of oak wood. The paving is made up of 40,000 slabs of local slate, set to end, hand-hewn at the Delabol quarry, just three miles from Tintagel.
The plaques bear the names of thousands of donors who have donated £ 5 each. At the same time, the largest amount ever received from individuals English Heritage, 2.5 million, was transferred to the project by Hans Christian Rausing, heir to Tetra Pak, and his wife Julia. The total budget was 5 million pounds: in addition to the bridge, it covers the reconstruction of paths on the territory of Tintagel, as well as the protection of its historical and natural environment from the influence of tourism.
