Lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal in Central Newbury Berkshire

Newbury Bridge, also known as Kennet Bridge or Town Bridge, is a bridge across the River Kennet in the town centre of Newbury in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county of

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

. The bridge carries Bridge Street, which links

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, to the north of the river, with Bartholomew Street, to the south. The river channel under the bridge is also used by boats navigating the

Kennet and Avon Canal The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the cent ...

. The current bridge was built between 1769 and 1772 and has three arches, although the two outer arches are now hidden by flanking buildings. It is a Grade II* listed structure.

History

The first bridge across the River Kennet in Newbury dates back to the

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, and the earliest reference to it is an account of its reconstruction in the

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. In 1312, King

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...

directed that the bridge should be kept in good order. By 1623, the bridge is recorded as being built of wood, being in length and in width, and having shops on it. However on 5 February of that year, the bridge collapsed unexpectedly. The bridge was presumably rebuilt, as in 1644, during the Second Battle of Newbury, a guard was placed on the bridge by the

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s to prevent an attack from the south by the Roundheads. In 1723, the

Kennet Navigation The Kennet is a tributary of the River Thames in Southern England. Most of the river is straddled by the North Wessex Downs AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). The lower reaches have been made navigable as the Kennet Navigation, which � ...

made the River Kennet navigable downstream from Newbury to the

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, but the navigation terminated to the east of the bridge and did not pass under it. In 1726, the wooden bridge was swept away by floods and subsequently replaced with another similar bridge. In 1769 this bridge was demolished and work started on the current triple arched stone and brick bridge. The work was under the direction of the builder, who is variously reported as James Clarke or James Clark, and was completed in 1772. In 1794, work started on the centre section of the

, which would extend the Kennet Navigation to

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, thus providing a through route between

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

. The new canal used the stretch of the River Kennet under the bridge to gain access to Newbury Lock, the first lock on the new section. As the bridge pre-dated the canal, there was no provision for a towpath under the bridge. In the absence of this, a line to haul the barge had to be floated under the bridge and then re-attached to the horse where the tow path resumed. Over time, grooves were worn by hauling lines under the bridge and these can still be seen today. By the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Newbury Bridge still provided the only through road crossing over the Kennet in the Newbury area, and military planners were concerned about the consequences of it being damaged or destroyed in an air raid. As a result, in 1940, a temporary bridge was built some downstream, this bridge becoming known as the American Bridge and lasting until it was replaced in 2001. The American Bridge was to be the first of three bypass bridges built. The second was a bridge on the first Newbury by-pass, further downstream from the American Bridge, opened in 1963. When the first by-pass proved insufficient to cope with the volume of traffic travelling north-south through the Newbury area, a second by-pass was built to the west of Newbury. This included separate bridges over the river and canal some upstream of the Town Bridge, and opened in 1998.

References

External links

* {{Kennet and Avon Canal Bridges completed in 1772 Bridges in Berkshire Grade II* listed bridges in England Grade II* listed buildings in Berkshire Kennet and Avon Canal Roads in Berkshire