the imaginations of writers, artists, and even Richard of Cornwall; the brother of King Henry the Third.

In Summer 2019, English Heritage installed a new footbridge to reunite the

separated halves of the castle for the first time in over 500 years.

The bridge is a serious feat of engineering and design. It is transforming the way that people can experience the beauty

of the landscape, and the history of the castle. Ever since I moved to Cornwall fifteen years

ago and started studying history, I've been fascinated by Tintagel. I visited with my

father when I was younger, and brought my own children here to experience the site firsthand.

Much like Tintagel Castle itself, the new bridge will give visitors a chance to walk

in the footfalls of history and travel to a landmark that features stories told the world over.

To guide us around this spectacular site, I'm here with Georgia Butters from English

Heritage. Georgia, how long have you been working on the Tintagel bridge project? I've

been working on it since April 2017, and I got involved when we were going into the planning

stage. Now, when you first saw the design, by the way I think it is stunning, what did

you think? Personally, I thought it looked like the most elegant thing we could possibly do in

that space, and I was really excited by it as loads and loads of people have been. It

was just an amazing moment to be able to walk across that bridge and see a view that hasn't

been seen for 500 years. Historically, Tintagel would've looked completely different to how

it does now. There is a natural chasm running through the middle of the site. Those two

halves would've been joined by a natural land bridge. In the fifteenth or sixteenth century,

the land collapsed, taking the central part of the castle with it. And now it almost looks

as if there are two castles facing one another. This spectacular medieval castle used to be

something of a challenge to fully explore. Visitors to the castle used to have to climb

up and down some pretty steep steps. English Heritage wanted to reunite the two parts of

the castle, recreating that natural land bridge. They asked companies to help them to create

a bridge with cutting-edge design in a way that works with the landscape rather than

against it. The concept is very simple. Two cantilevers that reach out from each side

and touch almost, but not quite, in the middle. The highlight of the crossing is obviously

in the centre of the bridge. The narrow gap represents the transition between the island

and the mainland, the present and the past, the reality and legend; all the things that

make Tintagel such a wonderful and compelling place. Although the bridge is quite minimal

by design, building it required some impressive engineering; two independent cantilevers of

approximately 33 meters length each, 57 meters above sea-level, 40 millimetre gap in the

centre, 47.5 tons of steel, 140 metres of oak, 40,000 hand-cut local Delabole slate

tiles. This is a distinctly Cornish castle, and the designers wanted the bridge to be

Cornish too. The slate that you walk on when you cross the bridge was quarried just three

miles away in Pengelly. The quarry is about a thousand years old, probably the oldest

operating slate quarry in the world. The slate itself is formed about 350 million years ago.

These blocks of two to twenty-tonnes go through primary saws to reduce them in size. It will

then go over to the splitters; the actual splitting process is very much the same as

it has always been for centuries. It is split by hand, the edges will be dressed on a dressing

machine, and then they'll be sawn to dimension by secondary saws. The main sections of the

bridge are made from steel by a steel fabrication company in Plymouth called Underhill Engineering.

They made 18 main sections and did a trial erection where they put sections of the bridge

together to see that they fit properly. Each half of the bridge was made in the workshop,

and then dismantled. It was then brought to site, and put back together again. Helicopters

were used to bring in the materials and equipment, including a huge cable crane which spanned

the gap between the two halves of the site. Having said all that, the bridges builders

still needed some old-fashioned muscle power to apply the finishing touches. We had guys

on the rope-access, hanging off so you'd establish one part of the bridge and they would let

themselves down from that and then be able to bolt on the next piece as they're down

there. Incredibly brave guys that do that and for whom it's just another day at the

office to be hanging off a cliffside in Cornwall. While the bridge was being built, other sections

of the site were being given a new lease of life as well. The wider project, which involves

the footpaths across the site, has real benefits to the archeology and ecology of the site

because what we're going to try and do is nudge people on a route, rather than criss-crossing

across the main plateau. We should really protect the wildlife that is up there and

also the archeology. And I suppose making it more accessible to the public also opens

up Tintagel and the wider local area to visitors. Already, we've had thousands of people visiting

the site. That's really important for local businesses and the tourism economy of Cornwall.

We are intrinsically part of that. I think it's also really positive in terms of showing

people the wonders of the history of Cornwall and being able to really engage with that

ancient story that sits here, that is earlier than King Arthur, and is about people that

actually lived here, and worked here, and traded here, before those legends really arose.

After years of designing, planning, and constructing, the new Tintagel bridge is now open to the

public. Its striking looks are enough to entice people from miles around, but what is even

more exciting is that the improved access means that even more people can visit and

explore the site for themselves. English Heritage's rule is to protect the sites, as well as to

spark people's imagination and inspire them to understand the history and what happened

here. I think the bridge is going to transform the experience of coming to Tintagel for our

visitors. They'll see from different angles and hopefully, they will understand the vital

historical point that we've made that they are walking in the footsteps of their ancestors.

When I first saw the bridge and it was here complete for the first time, I was really

quite emotional. I definitely had a tear in my eye because it really means so much to

us after all these years working on it. Walking across the bridge for the first time is obviously

an immense pleasure. We've spent many hours, days, months, working on it and to actually

step out and walk across and feel as though you are floating as you go from the mainland

to the island, is wonderful. Very impressive without a doubt. Absolutely. And the view

is something else. I've been coming down on weekends and been watching the bridge being

built over the last few months. And now you've walked across it for the first time? First

time yeah. What did you think? Worth every penny. Yeah? Before the bridge was there,

did you know what you had to do? You had to go all the way down to the bottom and then

all the way back up to the top. What do you prefer; that up and down, or this new bridge?

Bridge. What did you think about crossing the new bridge? My mum was really scared.

Was she? Was she holding onto the edge? I've never seen him cross a bridge so quick! It's

great, I think it's a lot easier than having to go all the way down and then come back

up again. Crossing the bridge for me, is an awesome experience. It blends modern engineering

with all the history from the past and provides the most spectacular views across Tintagel.

All that's left now is for you top come and visit the site and explore it for yourself!