Alan Hinkes crosses PaperBridge in England’s Lake District. Photo: The Westmoreland Gazette.A colorful new footbridge in northwest England’s Lake District is not for the faint of heart. The dramatic, cherry red arch, which stands in stark contrast to its green and gray surroundings, has become a national and international sensation. Made of 22,000 sheets of recycled paper, with no glue, bolts or other fixtures, the temporary bridge, aptly named PaperBridge, was created by artist Steve Messam using the architectural principles of the dry-stone walls and original packhorse bridges found in the Lake District.
Alan Hinkes, from North Yorkshire, was one of the first visitors to cross. “I ventured across the first time with slight trepidation,” he told the Daily Mail. “There was a bit of a wobble at the top and you are nearly 10 feet off the rocky stream bed, so it is no place for vertigo sufferers.”
A team of five workers erected the 4.5-ton bridge in the Grisedale Valley in just one and a half days. After 10 days, it will be dismantled, and the paper recycled.
