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Ferry Bridge is a historic bridge, connecting 
The bridge was damaged by storms in 1795, and in 1797
Ferry Bridge is a historic bridge, connecting Ferrybridge
Ferrybridge is a village in West Yorkshire, England. Ferrybridge lies at a historically important crossing of the River Aire which borders the North Yorkshire village of Brotherton. It is linked to other communities by the A1 road (Great Brita ...
in West Yorkshire with Brotherton
Brotherton is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. The village is on a border with the City of Wakefield and West Yorkshire (here formed by the River Aire).
History
Brotherton was historically part of the Wes ...
in North Yorkshire, in England.
There may have been a bridge over the River Aire
The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England, in length. Part of the river below Leeds is canalised, and is known as the Aire and Calder Navigation.
The ''Handbook for Leeds and Airedale'' (1890) notes that the distance from Malha ...
at this location in the Anglo-Saxon period, which has been supposed to have been destroyed in 1070. The first bridge known definitely to have existed was built in the late 12th century, but it collapsed in 1228, killing a group of Crusaders who were crossing. That year, pontage
Pontage was a toll levied for the building or repair of bridges dating to the medieval era in England, Wales and Ireland.
Pontage was similar in nature to murage (a toll for the building of town walls) and pavage (a toll for paving streets a ...
was granted, a toll for crossing the bridge, to fund repairs.
A replacement bridge was built in about 1290, with a bridge chapel
A bridge chapel is a small place of Christianity, Christian worship, built either on, or immediately adjacent to, a road bridge; they were commonly established during pre-Reformation medieval era in Europe.
Although sometimes built on land at the ...
completed by 1306. In 1461, during the War of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was fo ...
, the Lancastrian Army partly destroyed the bridge, but the Yorkist Army was still able to cross, on its way to the Battle of Towton
The Battle of Towton took place on 29 March 1461 during the Wars of the Roses, near Towton in North Yorkshire, and "has the dubious distinction of being probably the largest and bloodiest battle on English soil". Fought for ten hours between a ...
. The bridge was restored, and it was described by John Leland in 1538 as being built of stone and having seven or eight arches. Four small arches at its north end took the road across swampy ground. This route became part of the Great North Road in the early Georgian period, with coaching inns established on each riverbank. The bridge was Grade I listed
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 ...
in 1967.
The bridge was damaged by storms in 1795, and in 1797 John Carr of York
John Carr (1723 – 22 February 1807) was an English architect. He is best known for Buxton Crescent in Derbyshire and Harewood House in West Yorkshire. Much of his work was in the Palladian style. In his day he was considered to be the leading ...
designed a replacement, on a new alignment. Bernard Hartley constructed the bridge, which was completed in 1804. It is carried by eight round-headed arches: three to cross the river, four over land on the Ferrybridge side, and one over land on the Brotherton side. The piers have 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 and the bridge has a parapet, with refuges over each pier, and a vase balustrade in the central section.
See also
*Grade I listed buildings in North Yorkshire (district)
There are over 9,000 Grade I listed buildings in England. This page is a list of these buildings in the unitary authority area of North Yorkshire.
List of buildings
...
*Listed buildings in Brotherton
Brotherton is a Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It contains four Listed building#England and Wales, listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, one ...
References