Tintagel Castle Footbridge

In collaboration with the renowned bridge designers and engineers Ney & Partners we won an international competition to design a new footbridge linking the remains of Tintagel Castle in Cornwall. The competition was organised by Malcolm Reading Consultants on behalf of the client, English Heritage.

Our proposal is based on a simple concept: to recreate the link that once existed and filled the current void. Instead of introducing a third element that spans from side to side, we proposed two independent cantilevers that reach out and touch, almost, in the middle.

Visually the link highlights the void through the absence of material in the middle of the crossing. The structure, 4.5m high where it springs from the rock face, tapers to a thickness of 170mm in the centre, with a clear joint between the mainland and island halves. The narrow gap between them represents the transition between the mainland and the island, the present and the past, the known and the unknown, reality and legend; all the things that make Tintagel so special and fascinating.

The project has won multiple awards including the Urban Design Infrastructure of the 2022 AZ Awards, the Institute of Civil Engineers Showcase Award, the inaugural Bridges Award, RIBA South West Award, RIBA National Award and was shortlisted for the 2021 RIBA Stirling Prize.