In the 20th century, several schemes were carried out to preserve the bridge and partially return it to its original appearance, enhancing its appeal as a tourist attraction.

The much photographed bridge and weir below are close to the centre of the city, a World Heritage Site, renowned for its Georgian architecture.

She inherited the Earl's substantial fortune and estates close to Bath in Somerset after his death in 1764 and that of his younger brother and heir in 1767, and the Johnstones changed their surname to Pulteney.

William made plans to create a new town, which would become a suburb to the historic city of Bath, but first he needed a better river crossing.

[4][5] Pultney Bridge was designed by Robert Adam,[2][6] whose original drawings are preserved in the Sir John Soane's Museum in London.

[9] A second estimate of £2,389 was obtained from local builders John Lowther and Richard Reed; it included two shops at each end of the bridge, but work did not begin before winter weather made construction of the pillars impossible.

[12] The city council bought several of the shops and made plans for the restoration of the original façade,[9] which was completed in time for the Festival of Britain in 1951.

[2] In 2009 Bath and North East Somerset council put forward a proposal to close the bridge to motor traffic and convert it to a pedestrianised zone,[14][15] but the plan was abandoned in September 2011.

[17] The bridge features a narrow street flanked by two full length rows of shops designed in the Palladian style c. 1770.

Built of limestone, in classic Palladian style, the southern façade takes the form of a temple-like central bay with symmetrical wings connecting to two flanking, terminating pavilions.

On this southern side the structure comprises a principal floor at street level, with a low mezzanine separated by stone banding above.

The appearance changed yet again when the current weir, the scene of Javert's suicide in the film version of Les Misérables,[21][22] was constructed between 1968 and 1972 as part of a flood-prevention scheme.