List of crossings of the River Ure

The River Ure below Ure Force Rigg

This is a list of current bridges and other crossings of the River Ure in North Yorkshire, which are listed from its source downstream to the river's mouth. The River Ure is listed on mapping as starting at Ure Head on High Abbotside ( SD805968 ). ^[1] The named River Ure ends where Ouse Gill meets the Ure near Great Ouseburn and it becomes the River Ouse (see List of crossings of the River Ouse, Yorkshire). ^[2]

As with other river locations in Northern England, especially in the old North Riding of Yorkshire, many bridges were built at the locations of fords across the river. Examples of this are Scabba Wath Bridge and Harper Wath which is just outside Aysgarth. Harper Wath marked the limit of the property of Easby Abbey (later Marrick Priory), and later had a footbridge installed immediately downstream (Turn Hole Footbridge). ^{[3] [4]} Wath comes from the Old Norse vað meaning ford. ^[5] The old railway crossings on the formation of railways over the river have been demolished; one was a girder bridge between Aysgarth and Hawes stretching for 200 feet (61 m) across the river. ^[6] Another, far further downstream in Ripon was the Ure Viaduct. This was demolished in the 1970s and the position it occupied is now largely taken up by the Duchess of Kent road bridge which takes the bypass around Ripon. ^{[7] [8]} A third demolished railway viaduct was in Boroughbridge which consisted of two iron girder spans, each measuring 125 feet (38 m) in length. The viaduct was last used in October 1964, and was demolished sometime afterwards. ^[9] Many of the old fords are now not used, or have some stepping stones in place. ^[10]

The old name for the river was the Yore which gave way to the Ure; Yoredale describing the valley on Wensleydale was the common name for the valley until the start of the 18th century. ^{[11] [12]} There are bridges over the river at Bainbridge and Aysgarth that are both called Yore Bridge and are both grade II listed. The one at Bainbridge was built in 1796 and the one at Aysgarth was built in the 16th century and widened in 1788. ^{[13] [14]}

The canalised sections of the River Ure downstream of Ripon, most notably the Milby Cut, and the Westwick Cut, are not included for any structures over the formation.

Crossings

Crossing	Location	Type	Co-ordinates	Date opened	Listing [a]	Notes	Ref
Green Bridge	Lunds	Track	54°21′40″N2°19′50″W / 54.3610°N 2.3306°W / 54.3610; -2.3306 (Green Bridge)		N/A		[15]
How Beck Bridge	Lunds	Track	54°21′21″N2°19′52″W / 54.3558°N 2.3311°W / 54.3558; -2.3311 (How Beck Bridge)	Mid to late 18th century	II		[16]
Beck Side bridge	Lunds	Track	54°20′46″N2°19′12″W / 54.3461°N 2.3201°W / 54.3461; -2.3201 (Beck Side Bridge)		N/A		[15]
Blades footbridge	Lunds	Footpath	54°20′23″N2°19′04″W / 54.3396°N 2.3179°W / 54.3396; -2.3179 (Blades footbridge)		N/A		[15] [17]
Unnamed track	Lunds	Track	54°20′11″N2°18′41″W / 54.3363°N 2.3114°W / 54.3363; -2.3114 (Unnamed bridge)		N/A		[15]
Yore House Farm bridge	Lunds	Track	54°19′59″N2°18′31″W / 54.3331°N 2.3085°W / 54.3331; -2.3085 (Yore House farm bridge)		N/A		[15]
Thwaite Bridge	Thwaite	Road	54°19′33″N2°16′09″W / 54.3257°N 2.2691°W / 54.3257; -2.2691 (Thwaite Bridge)		N/A		[15]
Thwaite road bridge	Thwaite	Road	54°19′32″N2°16′01″W / 54.3255°N 2.2670°W / 54.3255; -2.2670 (Thwaite road bridge)		N/A	Carries the A684 road over the river	[15]
Unnamed bridge	Appersett	Track	54°19′10″N2°14′07″W / 54.3194°N 2.2354°W / 54.3194; -2.2354 (Unnamed bridge 2)		N/A		[15]
Appersett New Bridge	Appersett	Road	54°18′50″N2°13′12″W / 54.3140°N 2.2199°W / 54.3140; -2.2199 (Appersett New Bridge)	Mid to late 19th century	II	Carries the A684 road	[18]
Haylands Bridge	Hawes	Road	54°18′32″N2°11′29″W / 54.3090°N 2.1915°W / 54.3090; -2.1915 (Haylands Bridge)	Late 18th, early 19th century	II		[19]
Yore Bridge	Bainbridge	Road	54°18′44″N2°06′13″W / 54.3121°N 2.1037°W / 54.3121; -2.1037 (Yore Bridge)	1793	II	Built by John Carr of York	[13]
Worton Bridge	Worton	Road	54°18′28″N2°04′12″W / 54.3079°N 2.0701°W / 54.3079; -2.0701 (Worton Bridge)		N/A
Harper Wath (Turn Hole) Footbridge	Aysgarth	Pedestrian bridge	54°17′45″N2°00′29″W / 54.2959°N 2.0081°W / 54.2959; -2.0081 (Turn Hole Bridge)		N/A		[20]
Yore Bridge	Aysgarth	Road	54°17′35″N1°59′06″W / 54.2931°N 1.9850°W / 54.2931; -1.9850 (Yore Bridge)	16th century	II	Has a single span of 70 feet (21 m) over the river.	[14] [21]
Lords Bridge	West Witton	Road (private)	54°17′54″N1°53′08″W / 54.2982°N 1.8855°W / 54.2982; -1.8855 (Lords Bridge)	1733	II		[22]
Wensley Bridge	Wensley	Road	54°18′01″N1°51′40″W / 54.3004°N 1.8612°W / 54.3004; -1.8612 (Wensley Bridge)	15th century	II	A bridge probably existed before the current one. It was repaired in the 17th century, and widened in 1812.	[23] [24]
Middleham Bridge	Middleham	Road	54°17′39″N1°49′07″W / 54.2943°N 1.8186°W / 54.2943; -1.8186 (Middleham Bridge)	1830	II	Altered and repaired in 1865 after being damaged by cattle "which were being driven across the bridge, getting into step" according to local legend.	[25]
Ulshaw Bridge	Ulshaw	Road	54°16′49″N1°46′43″W / 54.2804°N 1.7786°W / 54.2804; -1.7786 (Ulshaw Bridge)	16th century	II		[26]
Kilgram Bridge	Rookwith	Road	54°16′09″N1°42′27″W / 54.2693°N 1.7076°W / 54.2693; -1.7076 (Kilgram Bridge)	12th century	SM		[27]
Masham Bridge	Masham	Road	54°13′34″N1°39′17″W / 54.2261°N 1.6547°W / 54.2261; -1.6547 (Masham Bridge)	1754	II	Built to replace an earlier bridge on the site.	[28] [29]
Tanfield Bridge	West Tanfield	Road	54°12′13″N1°35′17″W / 54.2037°N 1.5881°W / 54.2037; -1.5881 (Tanfield Bridge)	c. 1725	II	Built to replace a ferry crossing on the same site	[30]
North Bridge	Ripon/Ure Bank	Road	54°08′37″N1°30′55″W / 54.1437°N 1.5153°W / 54.1437; -1.5153 (North Bridge)	c. 14th century	II	Has been repaired and widened many times	[31]
Duchess of Kent Bridge	Ripon	Road	54°08′34″N1°30′48″W / 54.1429°N 1.5134°W / 54.1429; -1.5134 (Duchess of Kent Bridge)	20 March 1996	N/A	Opened by the Duchess of Kent and carries the A61 Ripon bypass over the River Ure. Is sited mostly of the formation of the Ure Viaduct, which carried the railway.	[32]
Hewick Bridge	Copt Hewick	Road	54°16′09″N1°42′27″W / 54.2693°N 1.7076°W / 54.2693; -1.7076 (Hewick Bridge)	18th century	II		[33]
A1(M) bridge (Arrows Bridge)	Boroughbridge	Motorway	54°05′52″N1°24′38″W / 54.0977°N 1.4105°W / 54.0977; -1.4105 (A1(M) Bridge)	November 1995	N/A	A 3-span motorway bridge with a length of 125 metres (410 ft).	[34]
A168 bridge ([Old] Arrows Bridge)	Boroughbridge	Road	54°05′53″N1°24′36″W / 54.0980°N 1.4100°W / 54.0980; -1.4100 (Arrows Bridge)	1963	N/A
Borough Bridge	Boroughbridge	Road	54°05′51″N1°23′43″W / 54.0974°N 1.3954°W / 54.0974; -1.3954 (Bridge)	1562	II	Carries the B6265 through Boroughbridge. It was widened in 1785 and repaired in 1969.	[35]
Aldwark Bridge	Aldwark	Footbridge	54°03′45″N1°17′18″W / 54.0625°N 1.2884°W / 54.0625; -1.2884 (Aldwark Bridge)		N/A
Aldwark Toll Bridge	Aldwark	Road	54°03′12″N1°17′17″W / 54.0534°N 1.2881°W / 54.0534; -1.2881 (Aldwark Toll Bridge)	1772	II		[36]

1. Either grade I, II* II, SM (scheduled monument), or N/A - not applicable

References

1. "River Ure". Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
2. Hadfield, Charles (1972). The Canals of Yorkshire and North East England. Vol. 1. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. p. 93. ISBN   0-7153-5719-0.
3. Moorhouse, Stephen (2003). "17. The anatomy of the Yorkshire Dales; deciphering the Medieval landscape". In Manby, T.; Moorhouse, Stephen; Ottaway, Patrick (eds.). The archaeology of Yorkshire: an assessment at the beginning of the 21st century; papers arising out of the Yorkshire Archaeological Resource Framework Forum Conference at Ripon, September, 1998. Leeds: Yorkshire Archaeological Society. p. 319. ISBN   1-9035-6405-0.
4. "Georeferenced Maps viewer - Map images - National Library of Scotland". maps.nls.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
5. Smith, A. H. (1979) [1928]. The Place Names of the North Riding of Yorkshire. English Place Name Society. pp. 21, 318. OCLC   19714705.
6. Jenkins, Stanley C. (2002) [1993]. The Wensleydale Branch; a new history. Usk: The Oakwood Press. p. 145. ISBN   0-85361-587-X.
7. Bairstow, Martin (2022). Railways through Harrogate. Farsley: Bairstow. p. 20. ISBN   978-1-871944-49-5.
8. Stothard, Peter, ed. (20 March 1996). "Today's royal engagements". The Times. No. 65532. p. 20. ISSN   0140-0460.
9. Howat, Patrick (1991). The Pilmoor, Boroughbridge and Knaresborough railway. Halifax: Bairstow. pp. 35, 69. ISBN   1871944058.
10. Wright, Geoffrey Norman (1985). Roads and trackways of the Yorkshire Dales. Ashbourne: Moorland. p. 153. ISBN   0861901231.
11. Richardson, Jan (1995). Hidden places of Yorkshire and Humberside. Altrincham: M. & M. Publishing. p. 359. ISBN   1871815967.
12. Mitchell, W. R. (1999). The story of the Yorkshire Dales. Chichester: Phillimore. p. 95. ISBN   1860770886.
13. Historic England. "Yore Bridge (Grade II) (1132026)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 22 December 2025.
14. Historic England. "Yore Bridge (Grade II) (1131198)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 22 December 2025.
15. "OL19" (Map). Howgill Fells and Upper Eden Valley. 1:25,000. Explorer. Ordnance Survey. 2016. ISBN   978-0-319-26334-1.
16. Historic England. "How Beck Bridge (Grade II) (1316921)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 8 August 2025.
17. Speakman, Colin (2006). Green networks of the Dales : twenty magnificent new linear walks. Ilkley: Great Northern. p. 92. ISBN   1905080158.
18. Historic England. "Appersett New Bridge (Grade II) (1166501)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 12 August 2025.
19. Historic England. "Haylands Bridge (Grade II) (1131997)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 12 August 2025.
20. Hannon, Paul (1992). Walks in Wensleydale. Keighley: Hillside. p. 28. ISBN   1870141164.
21. The Dalesman's guide to the Yorkshire Dales. Clapham: Dalesman Books. 1979. p. 33. ISBN   0852065000.
22. Historic England. "Lords Bridge (Grade II) (1130877)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 22 December 2025.
23. Page 1968, p. 268.
24. Historic England. "Wensley Bridge (Grade II) (1318595)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 27 December 2025.
25. Historic England. "Middleham Bridge (Grade II) (1130935)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 27 December 2025.
26. Historic England. "Ulshaw Bridge (Grade II) (1021078)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 27 December 2025.
27. Slack, Margaret (1986). The bridges of Lancashire and Yorkshire. London: Robert Hale. p. 63. ISBN   0-7090-2814-8.
28. Page 1968, p. 324.
29. Historic England. "Masham Bridge, Masham (Grade II) (1316872)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 27 December 2025.
30. Page 1968, p. 384.
31. Historic England. "North Bridge (Grade II) (1174476)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 27 December 2025.
32. Watson, Tony, ed. (21 March 1996). "Seal of approval". The Yorkshire Post. p. 6. ISSN   0963-1496.
33. Historic England. "Hewick Bridge Over River Ure (Grade II) (1149819)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 27 December 2025.
34. "A1(M) Walshford to Dishforth | CIHT". ukmotorwayarchive.ciht.org.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
35. Historic England. "Borough Bridge (Grade II) (1293851)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 24 December 2025.
36. Historic England. "Aldwark Bridge (Grade II) (1150281)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 27 December 2025.

Sources

• Page, William, ed. (1968). The Victoria history of the county of York, North Riding volume 1. Pall Mall, London: Dawsons. ISBN   0712903097.