High Bridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 53°13′42.7″N0°32′26.4″W / 53.228528°N 0.540667°W |
| Carries | High Street |
| Crosses | River Witham |
| Locale | Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England |
| Heritage status | Grade I listed building |
| Characteristics | |
| Material | Stone |
| History | |
| Opened | 1160 |
| Location | |
 | |
High Bridge, also known as the Glory Hole, carries the High Street across the River Witham in the city of Lincoln in Lincolnshire, England. [1] It is the oldest bridge in the United Kingdom on which buildings still stand. [2]
The bridge was built around 1160. [3] The ribs of the original bridge survive, making it possibly the second-oldest masonry arch bridge in Britain and certainly the oldest with intact buildings on it. Churches and other ecclesiastical buildings were not uncommon on or near medieval bridges but High Bridge is unusual in carrying a secular building. [4]
The current row of timber framed shops on the west side of the bridge date from about 1550. Stokes Tea & Coffee have been custodians of the building since 1937. [5] The two upper storeys of the shops are jettied forward and at the corners there are carved figures of angels. The shops were partly dismantled and re-erected in 1901–02 under the supervision of the Lincoln architect William Watkins. [6]
Bridges like this were common in the Middle Ages, the best known being London Bridge, but most have long since been demolished because of their obstruction to the river flow and to shipping.
The Glory Hole is the name given by generations of boaters to the High Bridge in Lincoln. [7] Locally, the term extends to the pedestrian walkways leading up to the bridge, some of which sit on original wooden structures. [8] The structure has a narrow and crooked arch which sets a limit on the size of boats using the Witham and going from Brayford Pool, at the start of Foss Dyke, to Boston and the sea. [9]
Since the 14th century, the bridge has contributed to floods in Lincoln and after any heavy rain the bridge is virtually unnavigable to boats, which may be why it got its name.[ clarification needed ] A design by William Jessop in the 19th century to reroute the waters of the Witham through the south of the town was never implemented.
The bridge is both a grade I listed building [10] and a scheduled monument. [11]
For centuries the main thoroughfare through Lincoln was the High Street and all traffic had to cross High Bridge. A bypass was built in 1971, taking traffic away from the city centre, and the High Street, including the bridge, was pedestrianised. [4]
The bridge has a single ashlar arch with a span of about 22 feet (6.7 metres). The oldest part is the centre, which was originally about 33 feet (10 m) long. It was made from five barrel vaulted ribs, of which the three inner ribs were 3 ft (0.91 m) wide and the two on the outside were 4 ft (1.2 m) wide. The bridge was extended by 28 ft (8.5 m) in the downstream direction in about 1235 to accommodate a bridge chapel. The extension was supported by quadripartite vaulting. At some point after this, two of the middle ribs under the original bridge and some of the vaulting connecting the original part to the extension was removed and replaced with brickwork, apparently to make the arch shallower at road level. A further extension of 20 ft (6.1 m) was added to the upstream upstream in the 1540s. This was a flatter arch with no vaulting, and was designed to support timber-framed buildings. In 1762, a further small extension was added to the downstream side, giving the bridge a total length of 87 ft (27 m). [4]
The bridge chapel, built on the bridge in 1235, fell into disuse in 1549 as a result of the English Reformation. It was demolished in 1762 and a stone obelisk was built on its site as a conduit. The obelisk was removed in 1939 as it impeded traffic across the bridge. [4]
Lincoln is a cathedral city and district in Lincolnshire, England, of which it is the county town. In the 2021 Census, the city's district had a population of 103,813. The 2021 census gave the urban area of Lincoln, including Bracebridge Heath, North Hykeham and Waddington, a recorded population of 127,540.
The River Witham is a river almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham at SK8818, passes through the centre of Grantham, passes Lincoln at SK9771 and at Boston, TF3244, flows into The Haven, a tidal arm of The Wash, near RSPB Frampton Marsh. The name "Witham" seems to be extremely old and of unknown origin. Archaeological and documentary evidence shows the importance of the Witham as a navigable river from the Iron Age onwards. From Roman times it was navigable to Lincoln, from where the Fossdyke was constructed to link it to the River Trent. The mouth of the river moved in 1014 following severe flooding, and Boston became important as a port.
The River Welland is a lowland river in the east of England, some 65 miles (105 km) long. It drains part of the Midlands eastwards to The Wash. The river rises in the Hothorpe Hills, at Sibbertoft in Northamptonshire, then flows generally northeast to Market Harborough, Stamford and Spalding, to reach The Wash near Fosdyke. It is a major waterway across the part of the Fens called South Holland, and is one of the Fenland rivers that were laid out with washlands. There are two channels between widely spaced embankments with the intention that flood waters would have space in which to spread while the tide in the estuary prevented free egress. However, after the floods of 1947, new works such as the Coronation Channel were constructed to control flooding in Spalding, and the washlands are no longer used solely as pasture, but may be used for arable farming.
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The Foss Dyke, or Fossdyke, connects the River Trent at Torksey to Lincoln, the county town of Lincolnshire, and may be the oldest canal in England that is still in use. It is usually thought to have been built around AD 120 by the Romans, but there is no consensus among authors. It was refurbished in 1121, during the reign of King Henry I, and responsibility for its maintenance was transferred to the city of Lincoln by King James I. Improvements made in 1671 included a navigable sluice or lock at Torksey, and warehousing and wharves were built at Brayford Pool in the centre of Lincoln.
Coleby is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the A607, and approximately 6 miles (10 km) south of Lincoln.
The Horncastle Canal was a broad canal which ran 11 miles (18 km) from the River Witham to Horncastle in Lincolnshire, England, through twelve locks largely following the course of the River Bain. The canal opened in 1802, and was abandoned for navigation in 1889.
Temple Bruer Preceptory is a historic building in the civil parish of Temple Bruer with Temple High Grange, North Kesteven, Lincolnshire, England. It is one of the few Knights Templar sites left in England where any ruins remain standing. Its name comes from its Templar ownership and its position in the middle of the Lincoln Heath, bruyère (heather) from the French language current at the time. It was founded in the period 1150 to 1160 and the order was dissolved in 1312. The site is located between the A15 and A607 roads, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) north from Cranwell. The site has been excavated twice, firstly by the Rev Dr. G. Oliver, the rector of Scopwick in 1832–3, and in 1908 by Sir William St John Hope.
Lincolnshire is a large county in England with a sparse population distribution, which leads to problems funding all sorts of transport. The transport history is long and varied, with much of the road network still based on the Roman model, and the once extensive rail network a shadow of its former self.
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Lindum Colonia was the Roman settlement which is now the City of Lincoln in Lincolnshire. It was founded as a Roman Legionary Fortress during the reign of the Emperor Nero or possibly later. Evidence from Roman tombstones suggests that Lincoln was first garrisoned by the Ninth Legion Hispana, which probably moved from Lincoln to found the fortress at York around c. 71 AD. Lindum was then garrisoned by the Second Legion Adiutrix, which then went on to Chester in 77–78 AD.
Newport Arch is a 3rd-century Roman gate in the city of Lincoln, Lincolnshire. It is a Scheduled monument and Grade I listed building and is reputedly the oldest arch in the United Kingdom still used by traffic.
Colsterworth is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, less than half a mile (0.8 km) west of the A1, about 7 miles (11 km) south of Grantham, and 12 miles (19 km) north-west of Stamford. The village with the hamlet of Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth had a recorded population of 1,713 at the time of the 2011 census, in an area of 1,465 hectares.
High Street in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England extends from the St Catherine's roundabout and ends approximately 1.2 miles further north at The Strait. The historic High Street has evolved through many changes over its 2000 year history, encompassing Roman roads and settlement, medieval buildings, markets, places of worship, civic buildings, bridges, the arrival of the railways and heavy industry.
English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed arches, rib vaults, buttresses, and extensive use of stained glass. Combined, these features allowed the creation of buildings of unprecedented height and grandeur, filled with light from large stained glass windows. Important examples include Westminster Abbey, Canterbury Cathedral and Salisbury Cathedral. The Gothic style endured in England much longer than in Continental Europe.
The Sleaford Navigation was a 12.5-mile (20.1 km) canalisation of the River Slea in Lincolnshire, England, which opened in 1794. It ran from a junction with the River Witham, near Chapel Hill to the town of Sleaford through seven locks, most of which were adjacent to mills. Lack of finance meant that it stopped short of its intended terminus, but it gradually grew to be successful financially. The coming of the railways in 1857 led to a rapid decline, and it was officially abandoned by an act of Parliament in 1878, but remained open for a further three years. The lower part of it remained navigable until the 1940s, when it was blocked by a sluice.
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