The first bridge to span the Thames at this point was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In 1841, not long after work on the Avon Gorge Bridge in Bristol had came to a halt, Brunel accepted the commission to build a suspension footbridge across the Thames. Named after Hungerford Market on the north bank, Brunel's suspension bridge was built to provide a pedestrian crossing between the market and the south bank. Opened in 1845 the bridge was 1,462 ft long and comprised two side spans of 343 ft and a centre of 676 ft. The footpath was 14 ft wide.
When Hungerford Market closed, the site was sold to the South Eastern Railway (SER) for their Charing Cross railway station. In 1859 they bought the footbridge so that they could to extend a railway line from London Bridge to Charing Cross. Work started on the Charing Cross railway bridge in 1860 and the iron girder structure opened in 1864. The new bridge was cantilevered out to support the two toll footpaths which the SER was obliged to maintain. In 1882, the upstream footpath was used for additional track. In 1980 - 81 its iron girders were replaced by steel but Brunel's brick piers still support the bridge.
At the time of the building of the new bridge Sir John Hawkshaw, was working on the completion of the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, in memory of Brunel who had died on 15 September 1859. The engineer came up with a plan to the part of the old Hungerford footbridge to complete Brunel's more famous Avon bridge.
In 2000 a £50 million project was begun to replace the rather unpleasant foot bridge with two new ones, one on each side of the railway bridge. Brunel's original Surrey pier was also restored. The two multispan footbridges are 320m long and 4.7m wide, and the decks are suspended from sets of cable stay rods from inclined steel pylons. These elegant new footbridges provide stunning new landmark on the Thames.
The view from both side, especially at night is well worth seeing.
