Loyn Bridge (or Loyne Bridge) crosses the

River Lune The River Lune (archaically sometimes Loyne) is a river in length in Cumbria and Lancashire, England. Etymology Several elucidations for the origin of the name ''Lune'' exist. Firstly, it may be that the name is Brittonic in genesis and deriv ...

, carrying a minor road between the villages of

Hornby Hornby may refer to: Places In England * Hornby, Lancashire * Hornby, Hambleton, village in North Yorkshire * Hornby, Richmondshire, village in North Yorkshire Elsewhere * Hornby, Ontario, community in the town of Halton Hills, Ontario, Canad ...

and

Gressingham Gressingham is a small village and civil parish in the City of Lancaster in the English county of Lancashire. It is north of the River Lune and across the river from Hornby. In the 2001 census, it had a population of 153, decreasing slightly ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, England. The present bridge replaces an older bridge, which is thought to have been constructed with timber decking between stone

piers Piers may refer to: * Pier, a raised structure over a body of water * Pier (architecture), an architectural support * Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name) * Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...

. There is evidence that the river was forded here before a bridge was built. The date of the building of the present bridge is unknown; it is considered to have been after 1591, when the previous bridge was described as being "in a dangerous condition". A date of 1684 has been suggested, but

petitions A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some offici ...

regarding the bridge put before the

Quarter Sessions The courts of quarter sessions or quarter sessions were local courts traditionally held at four set times each year in the Kingdom of England from 1388 (extending also to Wales following the Laws in Wales Act 1535). They were also established in ...

between 1650 and 1750 make no mention of a new bridge between these dates. The bridge was paid for by the County of Lancashire, and later the responsibility for maintenance and repairs was transferred to the

Lonsdale Hundred The Lonsdale Hundred is an historic hundred of Lancashire, England. Although named after the dale or valley of the River Lune, which runs through the city of Lancaster, for centuries it covered most of the north-western part of Lancashire aro ...

. The bridge is constructed in

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

blocks, and consists of three segmental arches with triangular cutwaters containing refuges for pedestrians. The arches measure , and respectively. The carriageway is wide, and the maximum width of the bridge at the points of the piers is . It is described as being "surprisingly impressive for a route that has little significance nowadays". When the bridge was surveyed in 1998, it was found to be adequate to carry vehicles of 40 tonnes. It is recorded in the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, an ...

as a designated Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

, and is 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 and d ...

. Loyn Bridge was damaged during

Storm Desmond Storm Desmond was an extratropical cyclone and fourth named storm of the 2015–16 UK and Ireland windstorm season, notable for directing a plume of moist air, known as an atmospheric river, which brought record amounts of orographic rainfall to ...

on 5 December 2015. Further damage due to debris caused the bridge to be closed for an extended period. Extensive temporary protection for the bridge and bank were required, along with infill in the bridge piers. The bridge finally reopened on 22 April 2016. Even after the bridge repairs, significant damage to the hedges and fences along the road between the bridge and Gressingham is apparent.

References

{{City of Lancaster buildings Grade II* listed bridges in England Buildings and structures in the City of Lancaster Grade II* listed buildings in Lancashire Stone bridges in the United Kingdom Bridges completed in the 17th century Scheduled monuments in Lancashire Transport in the City of Lancaster Stone arch bridges Bridges across the River Lune

See also

References