Bidford Bridge

Last updated

Bidford Bridge
Uk-bidford-on-avon-1.jpg
Coordinates 52°09′50″N1°51′24″W / 52.1639°N 1.8566°W / 52.1639; -1.8566
CarriesSecondary road
Crosses Avon
Locale Bidford-on-Avon, Warwickshire, England
Heritage status
Characteristics
Material Stone
No. of spans8
History
InauguratedEarly 15th century
Location
Bidford Bridge
Village from bridge Uk-bidford-on-avon-2.jpg
Village from bridge

Bidford Bridge crosses the Avon at Bidford-on-Avon, Warwickshire, England. It is a scheduled monument [1] and is Grade I listed.

Contents

The bridge is wider than a typical packhorse bridge. It dates from the early 15th century but has been repaired many times; in the 16th century stone from Alcester's demolished priory was used. There are eight arches, with cutwaters on the upper side. In 1644, supporters of Charles I demolished the bridge to cover his retreat from Worcester to Oxford - this was repaired in 1650 by Quarter Sessions, for whom Bidford Bridge was a 'county bridge' under its control.

The Heart of England Way walking route uses the bridge.

Bridge Collision - August 2024

In early August 2024 the bridge was again hit by a vehicle, this time a Toyota Prius working as an Uber taxi. The damage caused is not visually as significant as the 2015 collision but the bridge is likely to remain closed for the foreseeable future as structural assessments and repairs are conducted.

Recent housing development work on both sides of the river mean that the traffic volume using the bridge has increased dramatically as a result and many local residents believe that now is the time for authorities to be considering building an alternative river crossing at or near Bidford.

Bridge Collision Repair Work - June 2015

In June 2015, a farm vehicle passing over the bridge struck the parapet, resulting in "significant damage to the... stone parapet, spandrel wall and central pier" and the bridge's closure to all but cyclists and pedestrians. [2] Following inspection of the cut-water (nose of pier) at river level, further damage to the sandstone blockwork was identified at this low level. Approximately 15 courses of White Hollington stone were subsequently rebuilt, integrating new stone in and around the existing masonry. [3]

The temporary access scaffold required to complete the works had to consider the ancient monument status of the bridge so could not be tied into the structure. Suspending a scaffold from the carriageway was also unsuitable because the bridge could not withstand the kentledge weight required. The chosen solution was for the scaffold to be founded on the river bed with tubes secured around piers providing anchorage. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Avon, Warwickshire</span> River in central England

The River Avon in central England flows generally southwestwards and is a major left-bank and easternmost tributary of the River Severn. It is also known as the Warwickshire Avon or Shakespeare's Avon, to distinguish it from several other rivers of the same name in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Icknield Street</span> Roman road in England

Icknield Street or Ryknild Street is a Roman road in England, with a route roughly south-west to north-east. It runs from the Fosse Way at Bourton on the Water in Gloucestershire to Templeborough in South Yorkshire. It passes through Alcester, Studley, Redditch, Metchley Fort, Birmingham, Sutton Coldfield, Lichfield, Burton upon Trent and Derby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterloo Bridge</span> Bridge in London, England

Waterloo Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge crossing the River Thames in London, between Blackfriars Bridge and Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges. Its name commemorates the victory of the British, Dutch and Prussians at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Thanks to its location at a strategic bend in the river, the bridge offers good views of Westminster, the South Bank and the London Eye to the west, and of the City of London and Canary Wharf to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warwickshire</span> County of England

Warwickshire is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire to the south, and Worcestershire and the West Midlands county to the west. The largest settlement is Nuneaton and the county town is Warwick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bidford-on-Avon</span> Village in Warwickshire, England

Bidford-on-Avon is a large village and civil parish in the English county of Warwickshire, very close to the border with Worcestershire. In the 2001 census it had a population of 4,830, increasing to 5,350 at the 2011 census, increasing again to 6,818 in the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clopton Bridge</span> Bridge in Stratford-upon-Avon, England

The Clopton Bridge is a Late Medieval masonry arch bridge with 14 pointed arches, located in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, which spans the River Avon, crossing at the place where the river was forded in Saxon times, and which gave the town its name. The bridge is still in use carrying the A3400 road over the river, and is grade I listed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cropredy Bridge</span> Bridge in United Kingdom

Cropredy Bridge is a bridge in north Oxfordshire, England, that carries the minor road between Cropredy and the hamlet of Williamscot. It spans the River Cherwell, which is also the boundary between the civil parishes of Wardington and Cropredy. The bridge has three spans, a reinforced concrete deck and is faced with Hornton stone. Each of the three spans is 12 feet (3.7 m). The present bridge was completed in 1937, but there has been a bridge on this site since at least 1312.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanton Drew</span> Human settlement in England

Stanton Drew is a small village and civil parish within the Chew Valley in Somerset, England, lying north of the Mendip Hills, 8 miles (13 km) south of Bristol, just off the A368 between Chelwood and Bishop Sutton in the area of the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ovingham Bridge</span> Bridge in Northumberland

Ovingham Bridges are a pair of side-by-side vehicle and pedestrian bridges across the River Tyne linking Ovingham and Prudhoe in Northumberland, England. Following a lengthy refurbishment programme by Northumberland County Council, Ovingham Bridge re-opened to vehicles on 5 September 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bennerley Viaduct</span> Railway viaduct spanning the Erewash Valley

Bennerley Viaduct is a former railway bridge, now a foot and cycle bridge, between Ilkeston, Derbyshire, and Awsworth, Nottinghamshire, in central England. It was completed in 1877 and carried the Great Northern Railway's (GNR) Derbyshire Extension over the River Erewash, which forms the county boundary, and its wide, flat valley. The engineer was Samuel Abbott, who worked under Richard Johnson, the GNR's chief engineer. The site required a bespoke design as the ground would not support a traditional masonry viaduct due to extensive coal mining. The viaduct consists of 16 spans of wrought iron, lattice truss girders, carried on 15 wrought iron piers which are not fixed to the ground but are supported by brick and ashlar bases. The viaduct is 60 feet high, 26 feet wide between the parapets, and over a quarter of a mile long. It was once part of a chain of bridges and embankments carrying the railway for around two miles across the valley but most of its supporting structures were demolished when the line closed in 1968. The only similar surviving bridge in the United Kingdom is Meldon Viaduct in Devon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wixford</span> Human settlement in England

Wixford is a hamlet and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon District of Warwickshire, England, situated 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of Alcester. The population at the 2011 census was 155. The area is largely agricultural with no large employers in the area, most residents commuting to larger towns nearby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stopham</span> Human settlement in England

Stopham is a hamlet and civil parish in the District of Chichester in West Sussex, England, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Pulborough on the A283 road. It is in the civil parish of Fittleworth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skerton Bridge</span> Bridge in Lancashire, England

Skerton Bridge is a road bridge carrying the southbound lanes of the A6 road over the River Lune in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The bridge is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building and Scheduled Monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loyn Bridge</span> Bridge in Lancashire, England

Loyn Bridge crosses the River Lune, carrying a minor road between the villages of Hornby and Gressingham in Lancashire, England. The present bridge replaces an older bridge, which is thought to have been constructed with timber decking between stone piers. There is evidence that the river was forded here before a bridge was built. The date of the building of the present bridge is unknown; it is considered to have been after 1591, when the previous bridge was described as being "in a dangerous condition". A date of 1684 has been suggested, but petitions regarding the bridge put before the Quarter Sessions between 1650 and 1750 make no mention of a new bridge between these dates. The bridge was paid for by the County of Lancashire, and later the responsibility for maintenance and repairs was transferred to the Lonsdale Hundred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eckington Bridge</span> Bridge in Worcestershire, England

Eckington Bridge is a stone bridge over the River Avon in Eckington in the English county of Worcestershire. It is a Grade II* listed building and has been scheduled as an ancient monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crickhowell Bridge</span> Bridge in Crickhowell, mid Wales

Crickhowell Bridge is an 18th-century bridge that spans the River Usk in Crickhowell, Powys, Wales. The main A4077 road to Gilwern crosses it. The bridge is claimed to be the longest stone bridge in Wales at over 128 metres (420 ft). It is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kexby Old Bridge</span> Historic site in City of York, England

Kexby Old Bridge is a historic bridge in Yorkshire, in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandon Viaduct</span> Bridge in Warwickshire, England

Brandon Viaduct is a railway viaduct crossing the River Avon between the villages of Brandon and Wolston in Warwickshire. It carries the Birmingham Loop line and is roughly halfway between Rugby and Coventry. The bridge was built in around 1835 for the London and Birmingham Railway and is now a grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hampton in Arden packhorse bridge</span> Bridge in the West Midlands of England

Hampton in Arden packhorse bridge crosses the River Blythe near Hampton in Arden in the West Midlands of England, between Birmingham and Coventry. Dating from the 15th century, it is the only bridge of its kind in the area now covered by the West Midlands, and is a grade II* listed building and a scheduled monument.

References

  1. Historic England. "Bidford Bridge (1355318)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  2. "Medieval bridge at Bidford-on-Avon damaged by tractor driver". BBC Online . 10 June 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  3. "Warwickshire County Council - Residents". Warwickshire County Council - Residents. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  4. "Bidford Bridge Scaffolding - Sky Scaffolding Midlands Ltd". Sky Scaffolding Midlands Ltd. 20 July 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.