00:00So I am here right in the heart of Vault 5 which is right under the Clifton Suspension Bridge which
00:05is one of the most iconic and recognisable structures in the southwest. Let's find out
00:10all about the vaults and why they're actually here. So we're currently in Vault number 5,
00:15so this is 5 out of 12 of the vaulted chambers that we have in the Leewoods Abutment and this
00:20is one of our biggest chambers. So this is a system of 5 on this level and they're exactly
00:26the same below us. Tell me a little bit about the vaults then for anyone who doesn't know, what are
00:32they? So they're basically a really big structural support. So on top of us we have 4,000 tonnes of
00:39tower plus half the weight of the bridge as well. So Brunel when he was designing this designed these
00:46just to make sure that they were really really strong in holding up those towers or at least
00:50that's what we think. I mean have they lasted? Have they worked? Yeah they're pretty good. I mean
00:57we only discovered them in 2002 so for a long time they went completely unchecked. So considering that
01:04they've held up very very well and they get maintained so our engineers come in all the time
01:10pretty much to make sure that they're all safe and very secure especially because we have public tours in
01:16here so we have to make sure they're pretty safe. So in here is the vault which is very cool. It is so
01:24much larger than you think. Apparently you can fit five elephants stacked up together to the ceiling so
01:30if you have a look up here you will be able to see it and to get in and out there are these smaller
01:36tunnels that you will be able to see just behind me. They were made for the Victorians and that is why
01:44they are shorter than perhaps we are. So I think we can all just about fit in them but let's have a go
01:50and see.
01:50And then we are back in this vault. Yeah so we obviously had no idea they were here.
02:08A man called Ray Brown was changing the pavement slabs directly above us and when he lifted one of
02:14them up he basically found a hole. He didn't realise at the time but that was a tunnel that came down
02:21into these vaulted chambers. So as I'm sure you can imagine everyone was a little bit nervous. The
02:26bridge master wasn't the most happy but they sent engineers down and when they came down they pretty
02:32much looked like this. So over 90% of the bridge is original. The only things that we've really added
02:38in here is a more secure floor and fencing to keep people away from the dangerous bits. It was because
02:43he wanted the bridge to be longer but people didn't really trust suspension bridges and thought that
02:48if it was as long as he wanted it to be the bridge would have fallen down. So this platform is essentially
02:54the base of one side of the bridge so without this platform the bridge would fall down.
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