The untold history of Pero’s Bridge

Up until last Sunday, Bristol had a statue commemorating a slave trader in the centre of the city but no permanent memorial to the tens of thousands of men, women and children who Bristol merchants were responsible for enslaving.

There is a small plaque on the side of the L Shed that was unveiled in 1997 during the European Year Against Racism, remembering “the countless African men, women and children whose enslavement and exploitation brought so much prosperity to Bristol through the African slave trade”.

Pero’s Bridge is the closest we have to a memorial, but even its naming proved controversial at the time of its construction in 1999.

It is named after Pero Jones, born in the West Indies, who later became personal servant to John Pinney, whose home is preserved as The Georgian House on Great George Street near Brandon Hill.

The most distinctive feature of the bridge, which crosses the Floating Harbour between Society Cafe and Za Za Bazaar, is its ‘horns’ which act as a counterbalance on the rare occasions on which it is lifted.

Pero’s Bridge’s ‘horns’ as a counterweight when it is lifted – photo by Martin Booth

In recent years, so-called ‘lovelocks’ have also been attached to the bridge – left by couples on its railings as a permanent reminder of their affection for one another, with their initials written on the lock and the key thrown into the water.

In other cities across the world, lovelocks have been removed from structures. In Paris, part of the parapet of the Pont Des Arts bridge over the Seine collapsed in 2014 under the weight of the growing number of locks that had been attached.

Hundreds of ‘lovelocks’ now cover the railings of Pero’s Bridge – photo by Martin Booth

The name of Pero’s Bridge was first suggested by current cabinet member Paul Smith, who in 1999 was Bristol’s City Council’s chair of leisure.

Also on the leisure services committee was then-councillor and later Liberal Democrat MP for Bristol West, Stephen Williams, who said at the time that he wanted a statue or permanent memorial to remember Bristol’s role in the slave trade.

During Smith’s tenure, he also commissioned the painting, Sold Down the River, by Tony Forbes, which currently is on display in the M Shed; and opened Bristol’s first slavery exhibition in Bristol Museum & Art Gallery.

He told Bristol24/7: “I dedicated the new bridge to be named after a slave associated with Bristol, following representations from people involved in seeking recognition for slavery in Bristol.

“All this I did in one year as chair of leisure (the equivalent of a cabinet member now).

In opening the exhibition with Paul Stephenson, I was the first politician to officially apologise for Bristol’s involvement in slavery (that was in 1998).

“That so little has been done since, including under Lib Dem administrations, should shame us all.”

‘Sold Down the River’ by Tony Forbes (1964-2019) features the statue of Edward Colston – courtesy of Bristol Culture

Williams said that when he was a councillor in the 1990s, he worked closed with Labour’s Patricia McLaren to get the city’s museums “to do more on Bristol and slavery”.

He said: “Our first achievement was getting a display in the Georgian House to make clear how the Pinney family had made their money. It’s still there, 22 years later and a bit faded.

“I was also involved in discussions with the proposed Empire Museum about how they would cover the darker side of imperial history and with the then Industrial Museum (now M Shed) about a display on slavery.

“At the same time a new footbridge had been opened in my ward, which had no name but people were beginning to call the horned bridge, because of the shaped counterweights…

“I suggested a competition to name the bridge. (Evening Post reporter) Ian Onions rang me up and told me that Paul Smith had decided to call it Pero’s Bridge, as the city’s memorial to slavery.

“I responded that this was a silly gesture by Smith. The bridge had never been commissioned for that purpose and a name that few people would know was a totally inadequate way to face up to the city’s past.

“I said that a statue or some other specially commissioned memorial was more appropriate. The row led to a front page story, which Smith dredges up from time to time, probably out of bitterness for his humiliation in the 2010 election.”

In the 2010 General Election, Smith stood unsuccessfully against Williams in Bristol West. Smith won 27.5 per cent of the vote compared to Williams’ 48 per cent.

Paul Smith (left) and Stephen Williams (right) have an enmity stretching back decades – photos: Twitter

After holding Bristol West for ten years, Williams came third in the 2015 General Election and fourth when attempting to regain his seat in 2017.

He also stood unsuccessfully in the 2017 West of England mayoral election and the 2019 European Parliament election.

Williams added: “It’s hard to believe that 22 years later the name of the footbridge is still the only physical recognition of slavery in Bristol.

“I think Labour councillors at the time wanted to do the bare minimum to deal with the issue and wanted to keep it swept under the carpet.

“I criticised Smith in full council for being willing to spend tens of thousands on a steel and glass ‘entry way’ to Broadmead (still there, in front of Primark) and called it Smith’s Folly.

“But they weren’t willing to spend anything on a slavery memorial.”

Smith said that the structure in Broadmead was funded by the Broadmead Board and not the city council.

Pero’s Bridge was named in 1999 by current cabinet member, Paul Smith – photo by Martin Booth

Main photo by Martin Booth

Read more: EXCLUSIVE: More symbols to Colston removed