Before Charing Cross station was built across the river, the site was occupied by the Hungerford market, established by the Earl of Hungerford in 1692.
Brunel built a suspension bridge across the river to provide pedestrian access to the market in 1845 but when the railway company took over the market site, the bridge was dismantled and taken to Bristol to become the Clifton Suspension bridge. There was a public outcry at the loss of pedestrian access across the river and the railway company was forced to build a pedestrian footpath alongside the railway bridge.
See Hungerford bridge on the cultural walk and bridges walk.