Trinity Bridge | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 52°40′33″N0°10′06″W / 52.6757°N 0.168281°W |
OS grid reference | TF 23939 10237 |
Carries | pedestrians |
Crosses | formerly the River Welland and a tributary |
Locale | Crowland, Lincolnshire, England |
Heritage status | Grade I listed |
Characteristics | |
Design | three-way arch bridge |
Material | Stone |
No. of spans | depends how you count them |
Piers in water | 0 |
History | |
Construction start | 1360 |
Construction end | 1390 |
Location | |
Trinity Bridge or the Triangular Bridge is a unique three-way stone arch bridge that stands at the heart of Crowland, Lincolnshire, England. [1] While it once spanned the divergence of the River Welland and a distributary, the rivers have been re-routed, and it now spans nothing significant.
At Crowland the Welland used to split into two channels, one broadly following the present course of the river, and the other joining the old South Ea to reach the River Nene near Wisbech. [2] The river no longer flows through Crowland, but the triangular bridge, which spanned the junction, remains in the centre of the town. [1]
The current bridge dates to the 14th century (built between 1360 and 1390) and replaced previous wooden bridges. The earliest known mention of the bridge is by King Æthelbald of Mercia in 716. It was mentioned in a (spurious) 943 charter of Eadred. [3] The bridge is now a scheduled monument and Grade I listed.
The bridge is predominantly built from Barnack stone, which was quarried at Barnack about 10 miles to the west of Crowland, and presumably transported by boat on the Welland.
This bridge has three stairways that converge at the top. Originally it spanned the River Welland and a distributary that flowed through the town, although the rivers were re-routed in the mid-17th century [4] and no longer flow anywhere near the bridge. The bridge was an unusual and economical solution to the crossing of two watercourses at their divergence, reducing the need for three separate bridges to a single structure with three abutments.
In 1952 a watercolour of Trinity Bridge by F. W. Baldwin was used on a menu for the P&O liner RMS Strathmore. A copy can be found in the Victoria and Albert Museum under reference number E.346-2005. [5]
Dry Bridge in Zrenjanin, Serbia, is another example of a bridge no longer crossing water, but it is far larger.
Crowland or Croyland is a town and civil parish in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated between Peterborough and Spalding. Crowland contains two sites of historical interest, Crowland Abbey and Trinity Bridge.
The Wash is a shallow natural rectangular bay and multiple estuary on the east coast of England in the United Kingdom. It is an inlet of the North Sea and is the largest multiple estuary system in the UK, as well as being the largest natural bay in England and is the outflow for the rivers Witham, Welland, Nene and the Great Ouse. It is also one of the most important places of conservation in Europe, with several nature reserves located within this area.
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.
The River Ancholme is a river in Lincolnshire, England, and a tributary of the Humber. It rises at Ancholme Head, a spring just north of the village of Ingham and immediately west of the Roman Road, Ermine Street. It flows east and then north to Bishopbridge west of Market Rasen, where it is joined by the Rase. North of there it flows through the market town of Brigg before draining into the Humber at South Ferriby. It drains a large part of northern Lincolnshire between the Trent and the North Sea.
The River Glen is a river in Lincolnshire, England with a short stretch passing through Rutland near Essendine.
Spalding is a market town on the River Welland in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. The main town had a population of 30,556 at the 2021 census. The town is the administrative centre of the South Holland District. The town is located between the cities of Peterborough and Lincoln.
Stamford is a town and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The population at the 2011 census was 19,701 and estimated at 20,645 in 2019. The town has 17th- and 18th-century stone buildings, older timber-framed buildings and five medieval parish churches. It is a frequent film location. In 2013 it was rated a top place to live in a survey by The Sunday Times. Its name has been passed on to Stamford, Connecticut, founded in 1641.
South Kesteven is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England, forming part of the traditional Kesteven division of the county. Its council is based in Grantham. The district also includes the towns of Bourne, Market Deeping and Stamford, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.
The Colne is a river and a tributary of the River Thames in England. Just over half its course is in south Hertfordshire. Downstream, it forms the boundary between Buckinghamshire and the London Borough of Hillingdon. The confluence with the River Thames is on the Staines reach at Staines-upon-Thames.
Market Deeping is a market town and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, on the north bank of the River Welland and the A15 road. The population of the town at the 2011 census was 6,008.
Uffington is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 686. It is in the valley of the River Welland, between Stamford and The Deepings.
The A17 road is a mostly single carriageway road linking Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire, England, to King's Lynn in Norfolk. It stretches for a distance of 62 miles travelling across the flat fen landscapes of southern Lincolnshire and western Norfolk and links the East Midlands with East Anglia. The road is notable for its numerous roundabouts and notoriously dangerous staggered junctions and also for its most famous landmark, the Cross Keys Bridge at Sutton Bridge close to the Lincolnshire/Cambridgeshire/Norfolk borders which carries the road over the River Nene.
Barnack is a village and civil parish in the Peterborough unitary authority of the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England and the historic county of Northamptonshire. Barnack is in the north-west of the unitary authority, 4 miles (6.4 km) south-east of Stamford, Lincolnshire. The parish includes the hamlet of Pilsgate about 1 mile (1.6 km) northwest of Barnack. Both Barnack and Pilsgate are on the B1443 road. The 2021 Census recorded a parish population of 1000.
Stamford Canal, now disused, is one of the earliest post-Roman canals in England. It opened in 1670, around 100 years before the start of the Industrial Revolution which brought about the "golden age" for canals in Britain. Parts of the route can be traced on the ground, though only one lock survives intact. It was part of the Welland Navigation in Lincolnshire. First authorised in 1571, during the reign of Elizabeth I, construction did not start until 1664, under powers granted in 1620 and ratified by James I. It ran for 9.5 miles (15.3 km) from Stamford to Market Deeping and had 12 locks, two of which were on the river section at Deeping St James. No plans of its construction survive, although one of the locks was documented by a visiting water engineer in 1699. It contributed to the wealth of Stamford, allowing barley to be transported to the town for malting.
The Victoria Bridge crosses the River Severn between Arley and Bewdley in Worcestershire, England. At the time of its construction, the 200-foot railway bridge was the longest single span cast iron bridge in Britain.
The Fens Waterways Link is a project to improve recreational boating opportunities in the counties of Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, England. By a combination of improvements to existing waterways and the construction of new links a circular route between Lincoln, Peterborough, Ely and Boston is planned. The project is being organised by the Environment Agency and financed from the Regional Development Agency and the European Union.
Cowbit is a village and civil parish in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 1,220. It is situated 3 miles (5 km) south from Spalding and 5 miles (8 km) north from Crowland.
Duddington is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Duddington-with-Fineshade, in the North Northamptonshire district, in the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England. It is by the junction of the A47 and A43 roads, and is 9 kilometres (6 mi) southwest of the town of Stamford. The village is on the east bank of the River Welland which is the county boundary of Rutland. In 1961 the parish had a population of 184.
The A1175 road is a road in south-west Lincolnshire, England. It runs between Stamford and Spalding, along the old A16 route.
The New River is a drainage system in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. Rising just east of Sisson's Farm near Crowland it flows very roughly eastwards, following the general line of the River Welland but a little to the south. It skirts the settlements of Crowland and Cowbit before flowing into the Welland at Cradge Bank near Little London.