Wetherby Bridge 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 ...

and Grade II-

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

bridge over the

River Wharfe The River Wharfe ( ) is a river in Yorkshire, England originating within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. For much of its middle course it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. Its valley is known as Wharfedale. ...

Wetherby Wetherby () is a market town and civil parish in the City of Leeds district, West Yorkshire, England, close to West Yorkshire county's border with North Yorkshire, and lies approximately from Leeds City Centre, from York and from Harrogat ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

, dating from the 13th century.West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service. ''Wetherby Conservation Area''

retrieved on 4 August 2007. The bridge connects Micklethwaite, Wetherby, Micklethwaite on the south bank to the town centre on the north. It formerly carried the A1 Great North Road but now carries the A661 Boston Road leading to

Boston Spa Boston Spa is a Village and civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Situated south of Wetherby, Boston Spa is on the south bank of the River Wharfe which separates it from Thorp Arch. According to th ...

and the south.

History

The bridge has 13th-century origins. It was rebuilt in the 17th century and widened twice, first in 1773 and in 1826 to a design by Bernard Hartley. Its repair has been a contentious political issue in the past. In 1315 Eleanor de Percy petitioned

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 ...

for

pontage Pontage was a term for 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 pavin ...

for the bridge that she had undertaken to repair for redemption of the soul. An inquisition in York declared that 'nobody' was bound to repair the bridge and in 1316 Eleanor was granted pontage. In 1599 a

stone mason In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

complained at

quarter session 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 ...

that he was owed £4 13s 4d for its repair. The court ordered that £5 should be levied to pay him. In 1614 at the

Knaresborough Knaresborough ( ) is a market and spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, in North Yorkshire, England, on the River Nidd. It is east of Harrogate. History Knaresborough is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Chenares ...

quarter sessions it was reported that the bridge's pavement had decayed, the court issued a levy of twenty marks to be collected from the

Wapentake A hundred is an administrative division that is geographically part of a larger region. It was formerly used in England, Wales, some parts of the United States, Denmark, Southern Schleswig, Sweden, Finland, Norway, the Bishopric of Ösel–Wiek, C ...

s of

Barkston Barkston is an English village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire. The parish population was 497 at the 2001 census and 493 at the 2011 census. The village lies about north of the market town of Grantham, on the A ...

, Claro and

Skyrack Skyrack was a wapentake of the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was split into upper and lower divisions and centred in Headingley, Leeds. The Lower Division included the parishes of Aberford, Bardsey, Barwick-in-Elmet, Kippax, Thorne ...

to repair the bridge. In 1662 the bridge was described as being 'hazardous to passengers and cattle'; repairs were estimated to cost £260 which was paid from county rates and two Wetherby residents were appointed as surveyors. Issues regarding the bridge were raised at the quarter sessions ten times over the following fifty years and £300 was expended on its maintenance. The bridge was an important logistical link for the coalfields of

Garforth Garforth () is a town in the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It sits in the Garforth and Swillington ward of Leeds City Council and the Elmet and Rothwell parliamentary constituency. As of 2011, the popula ...

and Kippax to the south of the town and settlements north of the Wharfe. Coal wagons caused the road surface to deteriorate while the fast rising nature of the Wharfe exacerbated structural problems.

Turner

J. M. W. Turner visited Wetherby in 1816 and painted the bridge. The vantage point he used is no longer usable owing to tree growth.

Other river crossings in Wetherby

Until the first Wetherby by-pass was built and its new bridge was opened by the

Minister for Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government ag ...

Ernest Marples Alfred Ernest Marples, Baron Marples, (9 December 1907 – 6 July 1978) was a British Conservative politician who served as Postmaster General (1957–1959) and Minister of Transport (1959–1964). As Postmaster General, he oversaw the introdu ...

in the late 1950s, Wetherby Bridge was the only crossing in the area. The next upstream bridge was at

Linton Linton may refer to: Places Australia * Linton, Victoria Canada * Linton, Ontario * Linton, Quebec United Kingdom England * Linton, Cambridgeshire * Linton, Derbyshire * Linton (near Bromyard), Herefordshire * Linton (near Ross-on-Wye), Her ...

and downstream at

.The Archive Photographs Series: Wetherby (published 1995) page 24 The opening of the first by-pass bridge took the Great North Road away from the town. Wetherby Bridge is now one of three road crossings along with the first and second bypass bridges (opened in the late 1980s). Three bridges are usable by pedestrians; the Ings footbridge (built in the early 1970s), Wetherby Bridge and the first bypass bridge (the second one is inaccessible because of motorway regulations). Several bus routes cross the bridge.

Flooding

Wetherby Bridge is around a hundred yards downstream from Wetherby Weir. When the Wharfe rises the adjacent car park and low-lying land at the Wilderness flood. The bridge's arches can act as a barrier collecting debris and driftwood that can cause problems after the river level subsides.

War memorial

The town's war memorial designed by E. F. Roslyn is on the bridge. On the morning of

Remembrance Sunday Remembrance Sunday is held in the United Kingdom as a day to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts. It is held on the second Sunday in Nov ...

the bridge is closed to traffic for the wreath laying ceremony.

Gallery

File:Wetherby Bridge from the West (Taken by Flickr user 17th June 2012).jpg, The west side of Wetherby Bridge showing the weir File:Wetherby - geograph.org.uk - 322.jpg, The east side of Wetherby Bridge File:Wetherby Bridge (30th November 2013) 001.JPG, Wetherby Bridge illuminated File:Boundary between Wetherby and Micklethwaite, in the middle of Wetherby Bridge (Taken by Flickr user 6th July 2014).jpg , The boundary between Wetherby and Micklethwaite marked on the bridge File:Footpath under Wetherby Bridge linking the Wilderness with the Old Mill and town centre (6th March 2015).JPG, A pedestrian underpass under the bridges northernmost arch File:A handy shed under Wetherby Bridge (6th March 2015).jpg, A shed under the bridge on the east side, south bank File:War memorial, Wetherby (18th April 2014).JPG, The town's

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

on the bridge.

References

External links

Welcome to Yorkshire, Turner Trails, Wetherby Bridge
{{coord, 53.9266, N, 1.3860, W, source:wikidata, display=title Listed buildings in Wetherby River Wharfe Scheduled monuments in West Yorkshire Bridges in West Yorkshire Grade II listed buildings in West Yorkshire Grade II listed bridges