Bridge across the Fowey river at Lanhydrock - geograph

Respryn Bridge is a 15th-century

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

and stone bridge over the River Fowey in the parish of

Lanhydrock Lanhydrock ( kw, Lannhedrek, meaning "church enclosure of St Hydrock") is a civil parish centred on a country estate and mansion in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The parish lies south of the town of Bodmin and is bounded to the north by Bodmin pa ...

in Cornwall, England. The bridge is a 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 ...

History

The current Respryn Bridge was built in the 15th century, replacing an earlier bridge over the River Fowey built around 1300. The bridge was on the old road from Bodmin to

Looe Looe (; kw, Logh, ) is a coastal town and civil parish in south-east Cornwall, England, with a population of 5,280 at the 2011 census. Looe is west of Plymouth and south of Liskeard, divided in two by the River Looe, East Looe ( kw, links ...

. During the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

, the bridge was used a strategic crossing point between

and

Boconnoc Boconnoc ( kw, Boskennek) is a civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, approximately four miles east of the town of Lostwithiel. According to the 2011 census the parish had a population of 96. The parish is rural in character and i ...

, who were on opposing sides in the conflict. The bridge was initially held by

Roundhead Roundheads were the supporters of the Parliament of England during the English Civil War (1642–1651). Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I of England and his supporters, known as the Cavaliers or Royalists, who ...

s led by Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, but was captured by

Cavalier The term Cavalier () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – ) ...

s led by

Sir Richard Grenville, 1st Baronet Sir Richard Grenville (26 June 1600 – 21 October 1659) was a professional soldier from Cornwall, who served in the Thirty Years War, and 1638 to 1651 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. He was the younger brother of Sir Bevil Grenville, who died a ...

in 1644. That same year, King

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

crossed over the bridge. The bridge carries a through road, with the entrance of

Lanhydrock House Lanhydrock House, commonly known simply as Lanhydrock, is a country house and estate in the parish of Lanhydrock, Cornwall, UK. The great house stands in extensive grounds (360 hectares or 890 acres) above the River Fowey and it has been owned ...

a short distance away. In 1969, Respryn Bridge became a Grade II*

. In 2006, the bridge was closed for a month after being struck by a lorry, causing thousands of pounds' worth of damage. In 2019, stone bollards were added to the entrance of the bridge, to prevent large vehicles from crossing the bridge.

Architecture

The current Respryn Bridge is constructed from

and stone, and has five arches. Only the central arch is original to the bridge; the other four were added later, and the two arches on the western side are the newest. The bridge is long, and has a width of . The central arch has a span of .

References

{{coord, 50.4404, -4.6780, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Grade II* listed buildings in Cornwall Grade II* listed bridges in England Bridges completed in the 15th century Bridges in Cornwall