Old Swan Bridge, Pulborough

Old Swan Bridge
Coordinates	50°57′23″N0°30′44″W / 50.956279°N 0.512121°W / 50.956279; -0.512121
Carries	A29 road
Crosses	River Arun
Heritage status	Grade II listed building; scheduled monument
Location

The Old Swan Bridge, also known as Pulborough Bridge, is a stone bridge and Grade II listed building over the River Arun between Pulborough and Coldwaltham in West Sussex, south-eastern England. ^[1]

History and description

Before the construction of a bridge, a ferry was known to cross the Arun at Pulboorough. Documentary evidence suggests the ferry existed earlier than 1350. The ferry was replaced by a succession of timber bridges, the last of which was a short distance downstream from the site of the present bridge. ^{[2] [3]}

Swan Bridge was built in 1787 in a medieval style. It originally had three arches of ashlar construction. The fourth arch was added in 1834. The arches are all round-headed, supported by buttressed piers which rise from blunt cutwaters (starlings) and terminate below the parapet level. The parapets are in rounded, coped stone. ^[1]

The bridge carried the main route from Horsham to Arundel (the A29 road) until it was bypassed by a single-arch bridge immediately upstream. ^[4] It is a Grade II listed building and a scheduled monument. ^[1]

See also

• Stopham Bridge, just upstream
• Scheduled monuments in West Sussex

References

1. Historic England. "Pulborough Bridge (1353973)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 16 September 2025.
2. McFetrich, David (2019). An Encyclopaedia of British Bridges (Revised and extended ed.). Barnsley: Pen and Sword Books. p. 241. ISBN   9781526752956.
3. Jervoise, Edwin (1930). The Ancient Bridges of the South of England. London: The Architectural Press. p. 59.
4. Donnelly, Luke (26 September 2022). "The stunning historic bridges you'll find nestled along the River Arun". Sussex Live. Retrieved 21 September 2025.