Birks Bridge is a traditional stone-built bridge over the
River Duddon in the English
Lake District
The Lake District, also known as ''the Lakes'' or ''Lakeland'', is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Cumbria, North West England. It is famous for its landscape, including its lakes, coast, and mou ...
, in
Dunnerdale-with-Seathwaite, Cumbria, standing at Grid Reference .
History and construction
The bridge was built around the 18th century, with
voussoir
A voussoir ( UK: ; US: ) is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, which is used in building an arch or vault.“Voussoir, N., Pronunciation.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, June 2024, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/7553486115. Acces ...
s and inbuilt drainage, and became a listed building in 1990.
Aspect
Birks Bridge is a
packhorse bridge
A packhorse bridge is a bridge intended to carry packhorses (horses loaded with sidebags or panniers) across a river or stream. Typically a packhorse bridge consists of one or more narrow (one horse wide) masonry arches, and has low Parapet#Bridg ...
of outstanding beauty, even for Lakeland.
Hunter Davies
Edward Hunter Davies (born 7 January 1936) is a British author, journalist and broadcaster. His books include the only authorised biography of the Beatles.
Early life
Davies was born in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, to Scottish parents. For four ...
described how "the hump-back stone bridge seems itself to be a work of nature, blending and melding so well with the rocks either side".
Wainwright considered this a tribute to the artistry of craftsmen of former times.
See also
*
Listed buildings in Dunnerdale-with-Seathwaite
*
Ashness Bridge
*
Harter Fell (Eskdale)
*
Slater's Bridge
References
External links
Birks Bridge, Duddon Valley
Grade II listed bridges in Cumbria
Westmorland and Furness
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