Kexby Old Bridge is a historic bridge in Yorkshire, in England.
The bridge crosses the
River Derwent, linking
Kexby in the
City of York
The City of York is a unitary authority area with city status in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The district's main settlement is York, and it extends to the surrounding area including the town of Haxby and the villages of E ...
with
Catton in the
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to t ...
. It lies on the main route from
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
to
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.
It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-east ...
, and a ferry at the location was first recorded in 1315. In the 1420s, a three-arch bridge was constructed by Nicholas Blackburn, although the ferry continued to operate.
Because of the importance of the road, Roger Tresuer rebuilt the bridge from 1648 to 1650, and an inscription on it states that it was built in 1650. Despite this, the
Victoria County History
The Victoria History of the Counties of England, commonly known as the Victoria County History or the VCH, is an English history project which began in 1899 with the aim of creating an encyclopaedic history of each of the historic counties of En ...
claims that part of the earlier bridge may be incorporated in the present structure, including a coat of arms of the
Ughtred family.
![Kexby_Bridge_-_geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Kexby_Bridge_-_geograph.org.uk_-_921134.jpg)
In 1764, the road was made a
turnpike
Turnpike often refers to:
* A type of gate, another word for a turnstile
* In the United States, a toll road
Turnpike may also refer to:
Roads United Kingdom
* A turnpike road, a principal road maintained by a turnpike trust, a body with powers ...
, and much work was done to the bridge over the remainder of the century, with an inscription noting repairs in 1778. In the 20th century, the road was widened and straightened, but in 1960, a new concrete bridge was built as a bypass, forming part of the
A1079 road
The A1079 is a major road in Northern England. It links the cities of York and Kingston upon Hull, both in Yorkshire. The road is noted for its past safety issues, and regularly features in the Road Safety Foundations reports on Britain's most ...
.
The bridge was damaged in the
Boxing Day floods of 2015, and in 2017 major defects were found in it. It was then closed to motorised traffic. A steel arch frame was added to stabilise the western arch, and in 2020 and 2021, the central pier was partly rebuilt, and other work conducted to restore the bridge. However, it was decided that it would not reopen to motor vehicles.
[{{cite web , title=Work about to start to stabilise Kexby Old Bridge , url=https://www.eastriding.gov.uk/say/features/work-about-to-start-to-stabilise-kexby-old-bridge/ , website=East Riding of Yorkshire Council , access-date=27 November 2022]
The bridge is constructed of stone and brick, and has three arches, with the piers each having a pointed
cutwater
In architecture, a starling (or sterling) is a defensive bulwark, usually built with pilings or bricks, surrounding the supports (or piers) of a bridge or similar construction. Starlings may be shaped to ease the flow of the water around the brid ...
. The ground under the eastern arch is usually dry. Its parapet has four courses of stone.
It is a Grade II* listed building
and a scheduled monument.
References
Bridges across the River Derwent, Yorkshire
Bridges in Yorkshire
Grade II* listed buildings in York
Grade II* listed buildings in the East Riding of Yorkshire
Grade II* listed bridges in England
Buildings and structures completed in 1650
Scheduled monuments in the East Riding of Yorkshire
Scheduled monuments in York