HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Dove Bridge is a medieval bridge across the River Dove on the boundary of Staffordshire and Derbyshire in England. A river crossing has existed here since before the 1086
Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
, on the road between Derby and
Newcastle-under-Lyme Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. It is adjacent to the city of Stoke-on-Trent. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the population ...
. The current structure, a six-
arch bridge An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its structural load, loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either si ...
, is thought to date from the 15th century, though it has been subject to later repairs and significant widening work in 1913. A larger replacement bridge was constructed in the 1970s and now carries the A50 dual carriageway. Dove Bridge is now only used by pedestrian and farm traffic.


Description

The current bridge consists of six arches. The outer four arches are pointed and
medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
in origin, the central two arches are rounded and later in style. The bridge is constructed of sandstone blocks laid in regular courses. It rises slightly towards its centre. One of the older arches is ribbed, typical of
Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...
. The
cutwater A cutwater is the forward part of the prow or stem of a watercraft around the waterline The waterline is the line where the hull of a ship meets the surface of the water. A waterline can also refer to any line on a ship's hull that is paralle ...
s, located on both sides of the bridge between each arch, are triangular in cross section and rise to the full height of the deck. They are substantial and allow for large recesses at deck level for use as pedestrian refuges. The bridge spans and measures approximately between parapets. The parapets are relatively plain. The bridge is a
Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
, first listed on 13 September 1967, and a
scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...
.


History

The site is the location of an ancient crossing of the River Dove, forming the boundary between Staffordshire and Derbyshire. The bridge carried the road between Derby and
Newcastle-under-Lyme Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. It is adjacent to the city of Stoke-on-Trent. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the population ...
. The site is recorded in the 1086
Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
as "Dubridge" and by the 13th century was known as "Douebrigg". In the 4th year of the reign of
Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...
(c. 1276) a jury presented findings to justices in Eyre that the merchants of
Melbourne, Derbyshire Melbourne () is a market town and civil parish in South Derbyshire, England. It was home to Thomas Cook, founder of Thomas Cook & Son, the eponymous travel agency, and has a street named after him. It is south of Derby and from the River Trent ...
, had for three years unjustly withheld the payment of tolls at the bridge, which affected the money available for repairs. Edwyn Jervoise, an early 20th-century architectural historian, thought that the outer arches might date from the 14th century, though
Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...
currently believe them to be 15th century. The central two arches are from a later rebuilding. This has potentially been dated to 1691 based on an engraving in the parapet and records of the Staffordshire
Quarter Sessions The courts of quarter sessions or quarter sessions were local courts that were traditionally held at four set times each year in the Kingdom of England from 1388; they were extended to Wales following the Laws in Wales Act 1535. Scotland establ ...
which allocated £350 () for work on the bridge between 1689 and 1691. By the 17th century the maintenance of the bridge was partly funded by the income from agricultural land in Staffordshire. This included the of Broad Meadow and Netherwood Meadow and of enclosed land, which was formerly part of Broad Meadow. However revenues from this land were relatively low, at around £7 () a year, as the locals refused to maximise revenue by allowing higher charges for grazing on the aftermath of the harvest. A decree of 24 October 1690 failed to secure a change in this practice. An inquiry of 10 May 1727 led to a decree by the charity commissioners. This led to enclosure of the land from 8 August each year, with all animals excluded and access granted at the end of August for grazing by horses (for a 7 shilling charge) and cows (for a 4 shilling charge). Some 300-400 cattle were grazed each year, greatly increasing income for the repairs. Later the rights to graze the aftermath were sold at auction, raising around £50 () a year. A hermitage was located at the bridge in the 17th century. Also during the 17th century freemason and alchemist
Elias Ashmole Elias Ashmole (23 May 1617 – 18 May 1692) was an English antiquary, politician, officer of arms, astrologer, freemason and student of alchemy. Ashmole supported the royalist side during the English Civil War, and at the restoration of Char ...
participated in a ceremony at the bridge to attempt to invoke spirits. The bridge was visited by
Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe (; born Daniel Foe; 1660 – 24 April 1731) was an English writer, merchant and spy. He is most famous for his novel ''Robinson Crusoe'', published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its number of translati ...
and the event recorded in his 1724–27 travelogue '' A Tour thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain''. He notes that the locals referred to it as Dowbridge. Defoe reached the bridge on a journey from Derby to Uttoxeter and Ashbourne but his onward travel was prevented by rains that swelled the river and he instead returned to Derby to travel on to High Peak. In the mid-19th century workmen found a large stag's horn, buried deep in the ground some downstream of the bridge. By 1858 the quarter sessions of Staffordshire and Derbyshire had agreed to share responsibility for maintenance of the bridge, which was administered by justices of the peace. Significant repairs were carried out in spring 1864 with stones protecting the river bed under the bridge replaced. In 1874 the western-most arch was rebuilt, though the original ribbed design was not replicated. During this period the parapet was also rebuilt a number of times. In 1913 a scheme to widen the bridge by on the upstream side was approved with an estimated cost of £4,800 (). These works were completed by around 1915. During the Second World War two type 24 pillboxes were constructed near the bridge, intended to defend the crossing in case of German invasion. The road over the bridge came to be administered by the
Department of the Environment An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment, ...
, as part of the A50 trunk road. In 1975 the department awarded a £389,966 () contract to Lehane, Mackenzie and Shand for the construction of a three-span replacement bridge to the south of the original structure. This was completed by late 1976, a second bridge was installed to the south as part of an upgrade to dual carriageway status completed in 1998. The medieval bridge was retained and now carries pedestrians, cattle and local farm traffic. Until at least the mid-20th century the
River Tean The River Tean is a small river in the English county of Staffordshire.OS Explorer Map 259: ''Derby: Uttoxeter, Ashbourne and Cheadle''. . Description This short river is a tributary of the River Dove; running south-east from its source at ...
joined the Dove upstream of Dove Bridge; it now joins immediately downstream of the new bridge.


References

{{coord, 52.90756, -1.84449, format=dms, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Bridges in Derbyshire Bridges in Staffordshire Road bridges in England Arch bridges in the United Kingdom Scheduled monuments in Derbyshire Scheduled monuments in Staffordshire Grade II* listed bridges in England Stone arch bridges Stone bridges in England