Bristol in the Post-War Period

A night-time view of the Clifton Suspension Bridge during celebrations for the Coronation, maybe that of 1953, or possibly 1938; I am not sure, as there is no post-mark on the back of this card. Back in those days, the Bridge was only ever lit up for special occasions such as this, and over the Christmas season, rather than permanently like these days. Everyday illumination did not start until well into the mid-1970’s. The left bank is the district of Abbots Leigh, and the right bank that of Clifton and Bristol. The patch of lighted windows on the right bank are those of Windsor Terrace, situated on a promontory that causes it to appear in most views of the Bridge from this side. Unusually, there are sets of low intensity lights close to the waterline on each bank, which no longer exist. Those on the left would have been from the Bristol – Portishead Railway (since closed, but now recently re-opened), and those on the right would have been on the (now disused) landing stages of the White Funnel Fleet (still running well into the 1960’s, but do they still exist these days?). Their light blue, black and white posters were to be found in most shops in Bristol in my much younger days.