* David Harrison’s The Bridges of Medieval England
buy the hardback here
buy the paperback here
BEDFORDSHIRE
Harrold
Barford (one of the top 10 bridges in the countryside)
BERKSHIRE
Abingdon
BERKSHIRE/OXFORDSHIRE
Culham (near Abingdon)
Radcot (near Faringdon)
Newbridge (one of the top 10 bridges in the countryside)
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
Thornborough
CORNWALL
Wadebridge
Cornwall/ Devon
Greyston (River Tamar)
Horse Bridge (one of the top 10 bridges in the countryside)
CUMBERLAND
Lanercost
CUMBERLAND/WESTMORELAND
Eamont
DEVON
Barnstaple
Bridford (River Teign)
Exeter (Exe Bridge)
Staverton
DERBYSHIRE
Bakewell
Eggington (Monk’s Bridge)
Matlock
Swarkeston (The best preserved surviving long medieval causeway which extends for a mile across the Trent valley; the bridge over the main channel was built later)
Cromford (one of the top 10 bridges in the countryside)
DERBYSHIRE/STAFFORDSHIRE
Mayfield (Hanging Bridge)
DORSET
White Mill Bridge (near Sturminster Marshall)
Durham
Durham (Elvet Bridge)
Bishop Auckland (Newton Cap Bridge)
Wool Bridge (one of the top 10 bridges in the countryside)
DURHAM/YORKSHIRE
Croft
Piercebridge
Yarm
Chester ‘New’ Bridge nr Lambton Castle (one of the top 10 bridges in the countryside)
GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Tewkesbury
HAMPSHIRE
Fordingbridge
HUNTINGDONSHIRE
Huntingdon
KENT
Aylesford
Eltham Palace
Twyford Bridge (near Yalding)
East Farleigh (one of the top 10 bridges in the countryside)
LANCASHIRE/YORKSHIRE
Eadsford
LINCOLNSHIRE
Crowland (the Trinity Bridge)
NORFOLK
Norwich (Bishop’s Bridge)
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
Irthlingborough (one of the top 10 bridges in the countryside)
NORTHUMBERLAND
Twizel (one of the top 10 bridges in the countryside)
OXFORDSHIRE
Lower Heyford (near Rousham House)
SHROPSHIRE
Bridgnorth (although extensively remodelled by Telford, this is the only Severn bridge to give an impression of the appearance of the medieval bridges over the river)
SHROPSHIRE/WORCESTERSHIRE
Tenbury Wells (Teme Bridge)
SOMERSET
Haselbury Plucknett (Haselbury Bridge)
SUFFOLK
Hadleigh (Toppesfield Bridge)
SURREY
Tilford (2 bridges) (There are a series of similar bridges over the River Wey in the neighbourhood)
SUSSEX
Stopham (one of the top 10 bridges in the countryside)
Habin (This is one of several bridges over the River Rother between Midhurst and Petersfield ? there are others: near Durford Abbey and at Iping, Trotton and Woolbeding)
WARWICKSHIRE
Hampton-in-Arden packhorse bridge
Stoneleigh (Stare Bridge)
Warwick (surviving arches of old bridge)
WILTSHIRE
Barton (near the tithe barn at Bradford-on-Avon)
Bradford-on-Avon (Town Bridge)
Salisbury (Harnham Bridge)
YORKSHIRE
Kilgram Bridge (near Jervaulx Abbey)
Wensley
Wetherby (the medieval bridge is sandwiched between later widenings on either side)
*Many of these bridges are difficult to date precisely but it is likely that they were built before the end of Henry VIII’s reign.
This list was compiled for Countrylife.co.uk by David Harrison who is the author of ‘The Bridges of Medieval England’, which was recently published by OUP. Copies of the book are available to order at a special price of £30 for Country Life readers. Call +44 (0) 1536 741017 quoting reference number AAHMBRI05
buy the hardback here
buy the paperback here
Note from the author: Local government boundaries have changed frequently over the last twenty years. For ease the bridges have been listed under the old pre-1974 counties.
