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The Cathedral
Visitor's Centre
  As part of the Millennium Quarter
redevelopment the Cathedral used a narrow office
building called Hanging Bridge Chambers, seen below, to
create a Visitors' Centre. Designed by the Hurd Rolland
Partnership, the building has the usual features
including an interactive interpretation centre, lecture
facilities, a shop and a restaurant.
 However, it is in the
basement that you find the "Jewel in the Crown".
 In the centre's restaurant you will
find the substantial remains of the 1421 Hanging Bridge.
This is the bridge that carried people over the now
culvetted watercourse of Hanging Ditch to the Cathedral.
 Two arches of the Tudor bridge have been exposed. As you can see, the arch on the left has 3 prominent ribs that were probably added at a later date to strengthen the bridge. Below you can see the portion of the bridge that is exposed outside of the building.  Here is an artists representation of
the bridge carrying people across the Hanging
Ditch on to the Cathedral grounds.
 ******** I took a photograph of
the building in the 1980s on the Catheaton Street
side. At that time it was being used as a
Tandoori Restaurant.
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