A new footbridge has been unveiled by English Heritage at Tintagel Castle, a site inextricably linked to the legend of King Arthur. The footbridge opens to the public on 11 August. Photography: Jim Holden

Visitors to Tintagel Castle in Cornwall used to have to climb up and down 148 steep and narrow steps to get from one side of what remains of the castle to the other, frequently getting stuck in logjams in warmer months. Now a new footbridge across the 58m gorge means people, and wheelchairs, can get across in seconds while enjoying dramatic views through rugged cliff promontories out to sea.

在康沃尔的Tintagel城堡，游客过去不得不爬上爬下148条陡峭而狭窄的台阶，才能从城堡的一边爬到另一边，在温暖的几个月里经常被困在灌木丛中。现在，一座新的横跨58米峡谷的人行桥意味着人们和轮椅可以在几秒钟内通过崎岖的悬崖向大海欣赏壮观的景色。

‘It isn’t one bridge, it is actually two half bridges,’ clarifies Laurent Ney, founder of Belgium-based structural engineering consultancy Ney - Partners that designed the bridge with London-based William Matthews Associates. The bridge is indeed made up of two independent 33m-long cantilevers that project out and almost meet in the middle (spoiler alert: two pins actually connect the two halves but are almost invisible, and there is a very real gap of around 4cm that expands and retracts with the cold and heat).

“这不是一座桥，实际上是两座半桥，”比利时结构工程咨询公司Ney的创始人劳伦特·尼(Laurent Ney)澄清道。

A cantilevered structure, which is as strong while it is being built as when it is completed, was deemed the best solution for a site that is not accessible to trucks or cranes says Matthews. ‘Construction was by cable crane, which is a bit like a ski lift and very common in the Alps but less so here,’ explains Matthews. ‘Long rock anchors on either side were placed low enough to avoid disturbing the archaeology.’

马修斯说，悬臂结构在建造过程中和完工时一样坚固，被认为是一个卡车或起重机无法进入的场地的最佳解决方案。马修斯解释说：“建筑是用缆车建造的，这有点像滑雪场，在阿尔卑斯山很常见，但在这里就不那么常见了。”“两边的长岩锚都放得足够低，以免打扰考古学家。”

The new bridge at Tintagel is part of a wider five million pound project by English Heritage to enhance the ecology of the plateau through dedicated footpaths and landscaping that preserves its archaeology and minimises erosion.

这座位于廷塔格尔的新桥是英国遗产公司一项更广泛的500万英镑项目的一部分，目的是通过专门的人行道和景观美化来改善高原的生态，以保护其考古学和尽量减少侵蚀。

For the team behind it, it’s also about re-connecting the 13th century gatehouse on the mainland with the rest of the castle on the headland and recreating the route of the original land-bridge that existed there some five centuries ago.

对于它背后的团队来说，它也是关于重新连接13世纪中国大陆的门屋和海角上城堡的其他部分，并重建了大约五个世纪前存在于此的原始陆桥的路线。

‘The bridge represents that transition from mainland to island, from present to the past and from history to legend,’ says Matthews.

马修斯说，这座桥代表着从大陆到岛屿、从现在到过去、从历史到传奇的过渡。

The materials of the bridge are a blend of the sophisticated and urban, as well as the unexpected and tactile. The main structure is made out of mild steel painted red, while the balustrading and the diagonal bars that connect the deck and the lower chord, are made out of electro-polished stainless steel that almost disappears out of view from a distance.

桥梁的材料是复杂和城市的混合，以及意外和触觉。主要结构是用低碳钢漆红色，而栏杆和对角线杆连接甲板和下弦，是由电抛光不锈钢，几乎消失了从远处。

It’s the walkway composed of 40,000 small slate tiles sourced from three miles away that really wows however. The tiles have been laid vertically on edge in steel trays and interspersed with white quartzite tiles to reference the delicate lines of quartz found on slate rocks in the area.

然而，真正令人叹为观止的是这条由来自三英里之外的四万块小石板组成的人行道。这些瓷砖垂直放置在钢制托盘的边缘，并与白色石英岩瓷砖交织在一起，以参考该地区板岩上发现的细纹石英。

‘The idea was that it’s as if the slate paths on either side of the bridge continue as you cross,’ says Matthews.

马修斯说：“我们的想法是，当你穿过桥的时候，桥两侧的石板小径会继续下去。”

The results are textured and dynamic, resembling a tapestry from a distance. Remarkably, they also appear to reduce vertigo as you can’t see through to the 57m drop below.

结果是纹理和动态，就像一个挂毯从远处。值得注意的是，它们似乎也减少了眩晕，因为你看不透57米以下的下降。

The new bridge at Tintagel hasn’t been without controversy. Its detractors say the site should have been kept as is and not altered to make it more commercial. As interventions go however, this one not only has a strong rationale and integrates well into the landscape (and will do even more so as it ages), it also inspires awe and awakens the imagination. And, after all, that is what this evocative site is all about. §

Tintagel的新桥并非没有争议。批评者说，该网站应该保持原样，而不是为了使其更商业化而改变。然而，随着干预行动的进行，这一举措不仅有很强的理论基础，而且能很好地融入景观(而且随着年龄的增长，还会更加如此)，它还会激发敬畏和唤醒想象力。毕竟，这就是这个令人回味的地方的意义所在。§