Clifton Suspension Bridge - The Suicide Bridge

The Clifton Suspension Bridge, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and completed in 1864, spans the Avon Gorge at a height of 245 feet. While celebrated as an engineering marvel and Bristol’s most iconic landmark, the bridge has a tragic reputation as one of the world’s most popular suicide locations. Since opening, over 500 people have jumped to their deaths from the bridge, with the first suicide occurring just five years after completion. Despite barriers and prevention measures installed over the years, the bridge continues to claim lives, earning it the grim nickname “The Suicide Bridge.”

Sarah Ann Henley’s story is perhaps the most remarkable associated with the bridge. In 1885, the 22-year-old jumped from the bridge after a quarrel with her boyfriend, but her billowing crinoline skirt acted as a parachute, slowing her fall. She survived with only minor injuries and lived to the age of 85. However, her ghost is said to be one of many that haunt the bridge. Night-time visitors report seeing figures standing on the edge who vanish when approached, hearing desperate cries from the gorge below, and experiencing overwhelming feelings of sadness and despair while crossing.

Security cameras have captured unexplained phenomena, including orbs of light, shadow figures moving along the walkway, and on several occasions, what appears to be people jumping but with no bodies recovered. Some witnesses describe seeing a procession of ghostly figures walking across the bridge in Victorian clothing, while others report the sensation of invisible hands pushing them toward the edge. The bridge’s toll operators and maintenance workers have numerous stories of supernatural encounters, particularly during night shifts. Today, the bridge is monitored 24/7 by Samaritans volunteers and cameras in an effort to prevent further tragedies, but the ghosts of past victims are said to remain, forever trapped at the site of their final moments.