900-year-old charity brings brands together under new name

The 900-year-old Bridge House Estates and its funding arm City Bridge Trust will now operate under the new name of City Bridge Foundation.

While all the organisation’s operations will be carried out under the new City Bridge Foundation banner, Bridge House Estates will remain its legal name.

Explaining the change, Giles Shilson, City Bridge Foundation’s Chair said:

“The new identity will help to unite the two sides of our unique organisation and to give greater clarity when we communicate with Londoners.

“It will underpin our vision of a London that is fairer, safer, more equitable and greener; and support our commitment to further that ambition through our role as a leader in the sector and a funder of organisations working on the frontline to support communities across the capital.”

Bridge House Estates was originally established for the upkeep of the old London Bridge, which was the first stone crossing over the river. Its fund grew through tolls for crossing the bridge, rents from the buildings on it and charitable donations. It is now responsible for five Thames bridges – Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Southwark Bridge, Millennium Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge.

City Bridge Trust was set up in 1995 as a way of using surplus funds to award grants to charities across Greater London. More than 14,100 grants totalling around £760 million have been awarded since then with it awarding over £30 million a year to organisations across London. The foundation’s sole trustee is the City of London Corporation.

We’re excited to share that we're uniting our 900-year-old charity’s bridges & #funding teams under a new name, City Bridge Foundation.

Our new identity will help tell our story with greater clarity, as a world-class bridge owner and London’s biggest independent charity funder. pic.twitter.com/MjMQ5TYI3A
— City Bridge Foundation (@CityBridgeFndn) September 26, 2023

The rebrand includes a new logo, which has five horizontal lines to reflect the foundation’s five bridges and a curved line representing the River Thames.

Shilson said:

“For centuries, we’ve been bridging London – literally and metaphorically – and connecting the capital’s communities.

“Many people are not aware that we maintain five bridges at no cost to the taxpayer, and the surplus funds remaining from that work are used to support charities across Greater London.

“Bridge House Estates has a long and proud history and City Bridge Trust is well-known in London’s charity sector, but we wanted a name that encompasses all our work.”