Who we are...

We are Black & White Bridging, the architects of truly transparent lending with no grey areas…

From a small team based in Bath to a national lender with offices in Bristol, London and Manchester, we are here to make the lending market Black & White. Putting the power back into the hands of intermediaries with a crystal clear deal process, transparent underwriting and focusing on exceptional customer service to build long-term partnerships.  

TRULY TRANSPARENT Lending

Dedicated Lending Managers, with total deal transparency.

Black & White Bridging means exactly what it says. The deals are what they seem, with Lending Managers always available to make sure you are always crystal clear on how your deal is progressing.

With No Grey Areas

No hurdles, no hidden surprises. Simple effective lending.

How many times have you seen an advertised rate that’s near impossible to actually achieve, or been stung with unexpected changes at the last minute? No grey areas means no hidden surprises, charges or upfront fees.

The History of Black & White Bridging

June 2013

Managing Director Martyn Smith starts Bath & West Finance. Martyn previously built Bristol & West Investments (Bridgingloans.com) which became a quoted PLC in 2000, the first bridging finance business to have done so in the UK. Martyn has an exemplary background and reputation in the bridging finance market.

 
July 2018

Bath & West completes its 100th loan for a development based in Taunton. A huge moment as the small team begins to enter a period of real growth, with many new faces and the development of improved office space.

April 2021

Damien Druce joins as Commercial Director accompanied by Director of Lending Oli Bland. Damien who has significant experience of scaling specialist finance businesses, including Lendinvest and Assetz Capital had worked with Oli previously. A strategic rebrand was then undertaken through the meeting of minds and Black & White Bridging was born. A new disrupter in the bridging market. with a vision to become a national lender.

 
September 2021

In September of 2021, we completed our 200th loan on a buy-to-let property in South London continuing our journey as a national operator, marking another important milestone as we continue to grow and build long term relationships with intermediaries.

April 2023

A strong board and management structure was identified as essential to move the business forward. Sales, Relationships and Marketing were the main areas that the business strengthened bringing in key and reputable new personnel as well as promoting internal staff.

September 2024

B&W unveil a new funding line worth £100m. This announcement enables the company to expand the bridging loans offered, whilst also reducing rates. The new facility means we can increase minimum loan size from £2.5m to £7.5m, with rates starting from 0.69%.

October 2024

We announce major growth plans to expand across the country by opening two new regional offices in Manchester (Spinningfields) and London (Kings Cross).

February 2025

Four new starters join the business, creating a new internal sales function and also strengthening the sales and marketing teams.  The new appointments underpin the growth strategy in play at B&W, and will enhance broker relationships across the UK, with a particular focus on the South.   

February 2025

We complete our largest ever loan to date, an £8m development exit facility for a luxury apartment scheme in Birmingham. The loan was introduced by specialist broker firm Empire Global Finance. 

April 2025

We've added two people to our newly established Portfolio Team, helping us to refine our lending and portfolio strategy, enhance processes and manage risk appetite.

May 2025

We expand our leadership team with the appointments of John Bigwood as Chief Financial Officer and David Tropp as Chief Investment Officer. Through our expansion, we've transitioned to a C-suite structure, with Martyn Smith becoming Chief Executive Officer and Damien Druce becoming Chief Operating Officer.

June 2025

We've successfully lent over £250m since we launched, with £125m in the last 12 months alone. The largest portion of this has been through our residential and commercial bridging products which have contributed to over 1,300 UK homes being funded or refurbished. This marks a key milestone as we continue to grow our presence in the short-term finance market.

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Our partners...

We are impartially reviewed and accredited by two trade associations, so you can trust what we say from impartial sources. We also have various industry partnerships from time to time, so you can see who we are currently partnering with to best serve brokers and their borrowers. 

Offices

Black & White Bridging
Bury Manor Offices
Woodcroft Lane
Wick, BS30 5SH

0117 937 4333

3 Hardman Street
Spinningfields
Manchester, M3 3HF

0161 515 3989

Hamilton House
Mabledon Place
London, WC1H 9BB

0203 023 0003

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© Copyright 2025 Bath and West Finance Limited

Black & White Bridging is a trading name of Bath and West Finance Bridging Limited (12339728), Bath and West Finance limited (07673439) and their associated companies (a list of which is available in our privacy policy) incorporated in England and Wales, Bury Manor Offices, Woodcroft Lane, Wick, Bristol BS30 5SH. We are not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for our products or services. We are supervised by the FCA for money laundering purposes.