The Ceremony of Laying the Foundation Stone of the Suspension Bridge: The ceremony took place in June 1831, after a public breakfast, when a group of invited guests gathered at the bridge construction site on Clifton Down and formed a circle around a pile of stones. Engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel entered the circle, picked up a stone and handed it to Lady Elton, who gave a short speech. A volley of cannon fire followed and strains of the National Anthem are reported to have floated up from the Avon Gorge below.