Elvet Bridge is a medieval masonry arch bridge across the
River Wear
The River Wear (, ) in Northern England rises in the Pennines and flows eastwards, mostly through County Durham, to the North Sea in the City of Sunderland. At long, it is one of the region's longest rivers. The Wear wends in a steep valley t ...
in the city of
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England
**County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States
Durham may also refer to:
Places
...
, in
County Durham
County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...
, England. It links the
peninsula in central Durham and the
Elvet
Elvet is an area of the city of Durham, England, Durham, in County Durham, England. It is situated on the opposite side of the River Wear from Durham Cathedral and forms the south-eastern part of central Durham.
Name
The name ''Elvet'' is re ...
area of the city, and is a
Grade I 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 ...
.
Building
Building of the bridge began in AD 1160
in the time of Bishop
Hugh de Puiset
Hugh de Puiset (Wiktionary:circa, c. 1125 – 3 March 1195) was a medieval Bishop of Durham and Chief Justiciar of England under King Richard I of England, Richard I. He was the nephew of King Stephen of England and Henry of Blois, who b ...
(1153–95).
De Puiset, also known as "Bishop Pudsey" was a powerful
Prince Bishop who instigated a significant amount of building work in northern England.
A key reason for building the bridge was the urban development taking place in what was the then Elvet borough.
[ The bridge took many years to complete: in 1225 and 1228 ]indulgence
In the teaching of the Catholic Church, an indulgence (, from , 'permit') is "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for (forgiven) sins". The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' describes an indulgence as "a remission bef ...
s were still being granted to people who contributed to ''"the building of the new bridge at Elvet"''.[ Of the current arches only one is late 12th century; the remainder are 13th century.][
Elvet bridge was not Durham's first bridge over the Wear. The ''Foedarium'' of ]Durham Cathedral Priory
Durham Priory was a Benedictine priory associated with Durham Cathedral, in Durham in the north-east of England. Its head was the Prior of Durham. It was founded in 1083 as a Roman Catholic monastery, but after Dissolution of the Monasterie ...
, compiled early in the 15th century, records:
''Bishop Hugo built the bridge of Elvit, called the New Bridge to distinguish it from the other bridge, already built, which is called the Old Bridge.''
The bridge has 10 visible arches,[ but there is some dispute over how many arches exist in total.][ The early 16th-century ]antiquary
An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic sit ...
John Leland believed there were 14 arches, but this has never been proven.[ The river flows through four full arches – the remaining are dry or partly so.][ The early 19th-century antiquary Robert Surtees wrote that there were 10 arches,][ and this number has been verified. Others may be hidden beneath the street on the Elvet side or beneath Souter Peth.][
]
Subsequent history
The bridge was repaired extensively in the time of Bishop Foxe between 1495 and 1501, and again in 1601.[ A flood in 1771 badly damaged the bridge and the three central arches were renewed.][ The bridge was wide until 1804–05, when it was widened by ][ on its upstream (northern) side.][
]
In the Middle Ages Elvet Bridge was guarded by a gate and towers, and there was a number of buildings on the bridge. They included a chapel at either end: St James' at the western end and St Andrew's on a pier at the eastern end. St Andrew's may have been the larger of the two, as an inventory compiled in 1549 in the Edwardine Reformation measured the lead
Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...
on their roofs as at St James' but at St Andrew's.[ St James' chapel was replaced with a House of Correction (prison) in 1632.][ In the 18th century the House of Correction and many buildings at the north end of the bridge were demolished.][
The chapel on the eastern, Elvet, side of the bridge has partially survived and is particularly visible from the riverbanks to the south. A number of buildings incorporate part of the bridge, and 18 Elvet Bridge is also Grade I listed as a result.]
The bridge is reputed to be the narrowest row-through bridge in Europe.
References
Sources
*
*
*{{cite book , last=Simpson , first=David , year=2006 , title=Durham City , publisher=Business Education , isbn=978-1-901888-50-8
Bridges completed in the 13th century
Bridges across the River Wear
Bridges in County Durham
Buildings and structures in Durham, England
Grade I listed bridges
Durham, Elvet