Pill Bridge | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 51°00′28″N2°42′50″W / 51.0077°N 2.7140°W |
Carries | pedestrian |
Crosses | River Yeo |
Locale | Between Ilchester and Long Sutton, Somerset, England |
Heritage status | Scheduled monument |
Characteristics | |
Design | Arch bridge |
Location | |
Pill Bridge is a stone arch bridge over the River Yeo between the parishes of Ilchester and Long Sutton, in the English county of Somerset. It is a scheduled monument. [1] [2]
The current 17th century packhorse bridge replaced an earlier 13th-century bridge at the same site. [2]
It was the unloading point for goods destined for Ilchester, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) downstream, until the conception of the Ivelchester and Langport Navigation. A warehouse at the site was used from 1699 until 1805. [2] [3]
The bridge consists of three semi-circular arches. It is 48 inches (1,200 mm) wide and has a total span of 54 feet (16 m). [4]
The River Parrett flows through the counties of Dorset and Somerset in South West England, from its source in the Thorney Mills springs in the hills around Chedington in Dorset. Flowing northwest through Somerset and the Somerset Levels to its mouth at Burnham-on-Sea, into the Bridgwater Bay nature reserve on the Bristol Channel, the Parrett and its tributaries drain an area of 660 square miles (1,700 km2) – about 50 per cent of Somerset's land area, with a population of 300,000.
The Fosse Way was a Roman road built in Britain during the first and second centuries AD that linked Isca Dumnoniorum (Exeter) in the southwest and Lindum Colonia (Lincoln) to the northeast, via Lindinis (Ilchester), Aquae Sulis (Bath), Corinium (Cirencester), and Ratae Corieltauvorum (Leicester).
Ilchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo or Ivel, five miles north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. Originally a Roman town, and later a market town, Ilchester has a rich medieval history and was a notable settlement in the county; around the 12th and 13th centuries it was effectively the county town. It had, however, declined in size and importance by the beginning of the 18th century, and the last markets were held in 1833. In 1889 the historic corporation that had governed the town was dissolved.
Sutton Courtenay is a village and civil parish on the River Thames 2 miles (3 km) south of Abingdon-on-Thames and 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Didcot. Historically part of Berkshire, it has been administered as part of Oxfordshire since the 1974 boundary changes. The 2011 census recorded the parish's population as 2,421. Sutton Courtenay is home to some important structures, such as the Abbey, the Manor House, All Saints' Church, a twelfth-century Norman hall, the Sutton Bridge, and Didcot power station.
Fifehead Neville is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated in the Blackmore Vale about two miles southwest of the town of Sturminster Newton. In the 2011 census the population of the parish was 147.
Holwell is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) south-east of Sherborne. It is sited on Oxford clay in the Blackmore Vale. Its name derives from the Old English hol and walu, meaning a bank or ridge in a hollow. The parish includes the hamlets of Sandhills, Westrow, Barnes Cross, The Borough, and Woodbridge. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 369 and is part of the Cam Vale electoral ward. Until 1844 Holwell was an exclave of Somerset, being part of the parish of Milborne Port.
Charwelton is a village and civil parish about 5 miles (8 km) south of Daventry in Northamptonshire, England. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 220.
A packhorse bridge is a bridge intended to carry packhorses across a river or stream. Typically a packhorse bridge consists of one or more narrow masonry arches, and has low parapets so as not to interfere with the panniers borne by the horses. Multi-arched examples sometimes have triangular cutwaters that are extended upward to form pedestrian refuges.
Dowlish Wake is a small village and civil parish in Somerset, England, 2 miles (3 km) south of Ilminster and 5 miles (8 km) northeast of Chard in the South Somerset district. With a population of 277, it has several thatched houses and a pub, the New Inn. Its post office closed in 1991.
Queen Camel is a village and civil parish, on the River Cam and the A359 road, in the unitary authority of Somerset, England. It is about 7 miles (11.3 km) north of Yeovil. According to the 2011 census it had a population of 908. The parish includes the hamlet of Wales. Nearby places are West Camel, Sparkford and Marston Magna.
Rode is a village and civil parish in the ceremonial county of Somerset in England, 5 miles (8.0 km) north-east of Frome and 5 miles (8.0 km) south-west of Trowbridge.
Tellisford is a village and civil parish 6 miles (10 km) north-east of Frome in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the village of Woolverton.
Luccombe or Luckham is a village and civil parish in the Exmoor National Park in the English county of Somerset. It at the foot of the moor's highest hill, the 1,750 feet (533 m) Dunkery Beacon, and is about one mile south of the A39 road between Porlock and Minehead. Administratively it forms part of the district of Somerset West and Taunton. The parish includes the hamlets of Stoke Pero and Horner, as well as the former hamlet of Wilmersham.
Sutton is a rural village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. It lies 11 miles (18 km) east of Bedford. At the 2001 Census, its population was 299. Main features are the packhorse bridge over the Potton Brook, the adjacent ford, and the Grade I listed All Saints' Parish Church.
The Ivelchester and Langport Navigation was a scheme to make the River Ivel navigable from Langport to Ilchester, in Somerset, England. Work started in 1795, but the scheme was effectively bankrupt by 1797, and construction of the locks was never completed.
The Gallox Bridge in Dunster, Somerset, England dates from the 15th century. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building and scheduled monument. The bridge is in the guardianship of English Heritage.
The River Kennett is a river that runs through Suffolk and Cambridgeshire in eastern 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.
Ilchester Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street in Ilchester, Somerset, England. The structure, which serves as the offices and meeting place of Ilchester Parish Council, is a Grade II listed building.