Pero’s Bridge

I always call this «the horn bridge» but I’m glad to know its real name. It is certainly a city landmark, with its distinctive giant Horn counterweights, if not an attractive one.

Pero’s Bridge is a modern footbridge spanning Bristol Harbour which opened in 1999, but is named after an enslaved African-​Caribbean man who was the personal servant of merchant John Pinney in the late 18^th century.
It’s a bascule bridge, which means it can open up in the centre to enable taller boats to pass through the harbour.
The dominant horn-​shaped sculptures at the heart of the design act as counterweights for the section that lifts up, and have given the bridge the nickname ‘Horned Bridge’.
In all the times I’ve wandered around the harbourside, I’ve never once seen the bridge lift to let a vessel through — so I don’t know how often that really happens! It is, however, a handy pedestrian link between the Queen’s Square and Arnolfini side of the harbour and the Millennium Square and @ Bristol side.

Pero’s Bridge links the floating harbour from the Queens Square side to the @ Bristol Waterfront side of the city centre. It was built and unveiled for the millenium back in 1999. It was named after Pero, who was a black slave for one of Bristol’s richest merchants, a Mr John Pinney. It has now become a Bristol landmark — I wasn’t so sure of the design when it first opened, but it’s definitely grown on me. The two horns act as counterweights and allow the bridge to open for river craft when needed. At festival times it’ll get absolutely rammed on the bridge — always take the long route and walk round.

Pero’s Bridge leads you from Queen’s Square over to the waterside and @-Bristol area. It has a lifting section in the middle which works with counterweights shaped liked giant horns — which means we tend to call this the Horned Bridge or Horny Bridge.
Pero was a slave who lived in Bristol in the mid-​18^th century, a ‘personal servant’ to John Pinney since the age of 6 and travelled to Bristol back with Pinney as a young man.