A dramatic curving white steel footbridge which crosses the Bridgewater Canal at Castlefield Basin, Merchants Bridge was designed by Whitby Bird Limited and the steeIwork contractor was Watson Steel. Completed in 1996, this torsion structure was selected for a Millennium Product Award amid fierce competition, and connects the Bara Cafe in Catalan Square in Castlefield and the Quay Bar on the other bank. The sweeping dynamic curve of this structure is a product of the computer age, and its white paintwork contrasts dramatically with the red and dark blue brickwork of Castlefield's older railway viaducts and canal wharfages all around it. It is a fitting centrepiece for the renewal of the Castlefield area of the City of Manchester, and offers the best of 20th century design and engineering while complementing the seven established bridges at the site which cover 200 years of history.