Jarrold Bridge

The vision for the bridge began as an idea of the then Chairman, Peter Jarrold, to link the city more closely to Mousehold Heath the little known nature reserve situated on the escarpment to the NE of the city.

The final design is a bridge which traces a sweeping arc and appears to float over the water with little visible means of support. The structure responds to its immediate riverside environment, where the banks have a softer edge, and the surrounding paths and open spaces have a more human scale than urban stretches up and down stream. Just over 80m in length, the bridge’s sweeping curves are derived from the unique features of the site itself and the clearances required relative to river traffic and people walking or cycling alongside the river. The slope is less than 1 in 20 for ease of use. It was commissioned by Jarrold & Sons Ltd, designed by Stephen James of Ramboll and built by R G Carter.

The bridge has already become a popular feature on the Norwich riverside walk and has received recognition with the following awards:

  • ICE East of England Awards 2012 – Exceptional Merit for ‘Technical Excellence and Innovation’.
  • The Structural Steel Design Awards 2012 – commendation for the high standard of design achieved.
  • British Construction Industry Awards 2012 – short-listed in the Civil Engineering Project (up to £3m) category. The images at the top of this page show the visit from the judging panel.
  • Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) held their annual ‘Structural Awards’. These are the highest accolade for Structural Engineering in the UK, with awards given for national and international projects in 12 categories. Jarrold Bridge won in the ‘Pedestrian Bridge’ category.
  • Civic Trust Award 2013 – these prestigious awards honour projects that make an outstanding contribution to the quality of the built environment. From 263 national and international entries the Jarrold Bridge was one of only 32 projects to receive an award this year and the only one in the Eastern Region.
  • Norwich Society Design Award 2013 – in the Civic category.
  • EDP Business Award 2013 – for Design and Development.
  • Footbridge Awards 2014 – winner medium span