Bideford Long Bridge
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Bideford Long Bridge in North Devon spans the
River Torridge The River Torridge is a river in Devon in England; it rises near Meddon. The river describes a long loop through Devon farming country where its tributaries the Lew and Okement join before meeting the Taw at Appledore and flowing into the Bristo ...
near its estuary and connects the old part of the town, and formerly important river port, of
Bideford Bideford ( ) is a historic port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is the main town of the Torridge local government district. Toponymy In ancient records Bideford is recorded as ''Bedeford'', ''By ...
on the left bank (west side) with East-the-Water on the right bank (east side). It is one of the longest mediaeval bridges in England, being 677 feet (222 yards) long with 24 arches. In 1790 the bridge was the longest in Devon. It remained the furthest downstream bridge on the river until 1987, when the Torridge A39 Road Bridge was built a mile or so further downstream at Northam. The river is still tidal at Bideford (and as far upstream as
Weare Giffard Weare Giffard is a small village, civil parish and former manor in the Torridge district, in north Devon. The church and manor house are situated 2 1/2 miles NW of Great Torrington in Devon. Most of the houses within the parish are situated ...
) and a very large fluctuation in water levels occurs twice daily under the bridge. An ancient New Year's Eve tradition was to try to run across the Long Bridge during the time taken for the bells of St. Mary's parish church, near the west end, to chime midnight. A sight enjoyed by many in the winter months is of the
starlings Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The Sturnidae are named for the genus ''Sturnus'', which in turn comes from the Latin word for starling, ''sturnus''. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, ...
at dusk, as they come in large flocks to roost underneath the bridge. It is a Grade I listed building. Another major medieval bridge, the
Barnstaple Long Bridge Barnstaple Long Bridge is a medieval bridge linking Tawstock with Barnstaple in North Devon, England, spanning the River Taw. One of the largest medieval bridges in Britain, it is a Grade I listed building and ancient monument. Another major m ...
in
Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town in North Devon, England, at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool and won great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, bu ...
over the Taw, is a few miles away. A large scale model of the Long Bridge in all its stages from 1280 to 1925 is displayed at the
Burton at Bideford The Burton at Bideford is an art gallery and museum on Kingsley Road in Victoria Park, in Bideford, Devon, England. It houses collections on various topics connected with Bideford’s history and cultural heritage. The art gallery displays wo ...
museum in the town.


History


Wooden bridge

The Devon historian
William George Hoskins William George Hoskins (22 May 1908 – 11 January 1992) was an English local historian who founded the first university department of English Local History. His great contribution to the study of history was in the field of landscape history. ...
(1959) stated that the first bridge was built in the last quarter of the 13th century, and made from oak wood. The length of sections between piers were not uniform but were determined by the varying lengths of timber available. The bridge was rebuilt in stone in the 14th century with arch piers around this wooden bridge, using it as a form of scaffolding, thus the arches are not uniform in width but vary in the same proportion as the wooden lintels of the original bridge. Two other traditional explanations for the varying spans exist. Firstly that each arch was funded by a different local
guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...
and built piecemeal; secondly that the piers of the arches were built on naturally existing and therefore randomly situated large stones in the river. The existence of a bridge before that built or rebuilt traditionally by Sir Theobald Grenville is confirmed by a bequest of 40 shillings in the will of Bishop of Exeter
Walter de Stapledon Walter de Stapledon (or Stapeldon) (1 February 126114 October 1326) was Bishop of Exeter 1308–1326 and twice Lord High Treasurer of England, in 1320 and 1322. He founded Exeter College, Oxford and contributed liberally to the rebuilding of Ex ...
(d.1326) for the maintenance of Bideford Bridge.


Stone bridge

The stone original of the present arched bridge is said by the Devon biographer John Prince, (1643–1723) to have been built in the 14th century and chiefly financed, according to Prince, by Sir Theobald II Grenville (d. ''circa'' 1377), lord of the manors of Bideford and of
Stowe Stowe may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Stowe, Buckinghamshire, a civil parish and former village **Stowe House **Stowe School * Stowe, Cornwall, in Kilkhampton parish * Stowe, Herefordshire, in the List of places in Herefordshire * Stowe, Linc ...
in Cornwall, and father of Sir Theobald III Grenville. Sir Theobald Grenville II was the son and heir of Henry de Grenville, and was aged 4 at the death of his father when he was granted in wardship to Sir John Carew. He was knighted on attaining his majority aged 21, and was, according to Granville (1895) but not supported by other sources,
Sheriff of Devon The High Sheriff of Devon is the Queen's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his/her bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, they hold the office for one year. They have judicial, ceremonial and administrative f ...
in 1347. He married Joyce Beaumont, according to Granville (1895), daughter of Thomas Beaumont, Earl of Mellant (''sic''), perhaps
Count of Meulan The county of Meulan, in Normandy, France, appeared as an entity within the region of the Vexin when the otherwise unknown Count Waleran established an independent power base on a fortified island in the River Seine, around the year 1020. Waleran' ...
. The bridge was probably built during his minority. Other donors were the families of "Goldneye" (or Gurney) and Oketenet, which according to
Thomas Fuller Thomas Fuller (baptised 19 June 1608 – 16 August 1661) was an English churchman and historian. He is now remembered for his writings, particularly his ''Worthies of England'', published in 1662, after his death. He was a prolific author, and ...
(1608-1661) were locally powerful families. The Devon historian Risdon, Tristram (d.1640) claimed to have seen "a large catalogue containing the names of the bridge's benefactors wherein few families of any eminence in these western parts were omitted to be registered". It was at the time far from any main road, so is presumed to have been built mainly for the convenience of the townspeople. On 5 December 1396 Bishop of Exeter
Edmund Stafford Edmund Stafford (1344 – 3 September 1419) was Bishop of Exeter from 1395 to his death in 1419. Origins He was the second son of Sir Richard Stafford (born post 1301-d.1381) "of Clifton Campville" in Staffordshire (the second son o ...
(ruled 1395–1419) granted an indulgence to all true penitents who should assist ''"ad constructionem seu reparacionem longi pontis de Bydeford"'' ("towards the construction or repair of the long bridge of Bideford"). Later in 1437 and 1444 two further indulgences ''"ad novam constructionem sustentationem seu reparacionem pontis de Bydeford"'' ("to the new-building, sustaining or repair of Bideford Bridge") were granted by Bishop of Exeter
Edmund Lacey Edmund Lacey (or Lacy; died 1455) was a medieval Bishop of Hereford and Bishop of Exeter in England. Lacey was educated at University College, Oxford, where he was a mature commoner, then Fellow, and subsequently Master of the College from 139 ...
(reigned 1420–1455). The last episcopal indulgence in connection with repairs to the bridge was granted in 1503 by Bishop of Exeter John Arundel (reigned 1502–1504). It was considered until the 18th century very high "so that a bark of 60 or 70 tuns may pass and re-pass under the arches and between the
peers Peers may refer to: People * Donald Peers * Edgar Allison Peers, English academician * Gavin Peers * John Peers, Australian tennis player * Kerry Peers * Mark Peers * Michael Peers * Steve Peers * Teddy Peers (1886–1935), Welsh international ...
thereof",(Prince) although with its masts struck. Tradition states that, like
London Bridge Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It r ...
, its piers were built on
wool bale A wool bale is a standard sized and weighted pack of classed wool compressed by the mechanical means of a wool press. This is the regulation required method of packaging for wool, to keep it uncontaminated and readily identifiable. A "bale of wool" ...
s, an allusion to the great wealth generated by the wool-trade to the
economy of England in the Middle Ages The medieval English saw their economy as comprising three groups – the clergy, who prayed; the knights, who fought; and the peasants, who worked the landtowns involved in international trade.Bartlett, p. 313; Dyer 2009, p. 14. Over the five ...
. In fact the foundations are firmly fixed, although the bridge according to Prince "seems to shake at the slightest step of a horse". While one of the larger medieval bridges, it was exceeded by others, such as the almost intact
Swarkestone Bridge Swarkestone Bridge is a medieval bridge crossing the River Trent between the villages of Swarkestone and Stanton by Bridge, about 6 miles south of Derby. It is currently Grade I Listed and a scheduled monument. History The bridge was built in ...
and the old long bridge over the
River Trent The Trent is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, third-longest river in the United Kingdom. Its Source (river or stream), source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midland ...
at
Burton upon Trent Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. In United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011, it had a ...
, Staffordshire, demolished in 1864. which was 515 yards long, 15 feet wide and had 36 arches.


Legendary origins

Prince relates that before the building of the bridge the crossing over the broad and at times rough river was a dangerous action and frequently resulted in deaths from drowning. The parish priest of Bideford, Richard Gornard (or Gurney), ''"was admonished by a vision in his sleep to set on the foundation of a bridge near a rock which he should find rolled from the higher grounds upon the strand"''. In the morning he went to the river bank and found there a huge rock ''"whose greatness argued its being in that place to be only the work of God"''. He thus was incited to set forward the charitable work of founding a bridge, and gained to his cause the lord of the manor of Bideford Sir Theobald Grenville. Gornard disclosed his vision to the Bishop of Exeter, according to Fuller Bishop
Peter Quinel Peter Quinel () was a medieval Bishop of Exeter. He became a canon of Exeter Cathedral in 1276 and his episcopate began in 1280 and continued until he died in 1291. He issued a set of rules governing the clergy in his diocese and the required fu ...
(reigned 1280–1291), but corrected by Prince to Bishop
John Grandisson The '' John Grandisson Triptych'', displaying on two small escutcheons the arms of Bishop Grandisson. British Museum John de Grandisson (1292 – 16 July 1369), also spelt Grandison, was Bishop of Exeter, in Devon, England, from 1327 to his deat ...
(reigned 1327–1369), who sent forth ''"
indulgence In the teaching of the Catholic Church, an indulgence (, from , 'permit') is "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins". The '' Catechism of the Catholic Church'' describes an indulgence as "a remission before God o ...
s and licences to collect the benevolence of all the brethren and sisters within his bishopric"''. The appeal for funds was cheerfully received and ''"the greater personages allowed a certain number of workmen and some lands towards it, the common people some weeks, others a month's work, all striving...according to their utmost abilities for the furtherance of so charitable a design"''. Furthermore, ''"succeeding bishops in their distinct times did contribute alms and divulge benedictions to every man and woman that should be benefactotrs...causing it to be published in churches, in the cathedral church of Exeter and throughout the whole diocese of Devon and Cornwall 'that they should participate of all spiritual blessings forever that would encourage and promote so good a work'"''.


Widening & alterations

Shipping in the form of barges had long passed under the bridge to be carried by the incoming tide 2 miles upstream to
Weare Giffard Weare Giffard is a small village, civil parish and former manor in the Torridge district, in north Devon. The church and manor house are situated 2 1/2 miles NW of Great Torrington in Devon. Most of the houses within the parish are situated ...
, loaded with stone, sand and sea-coal, and bringing back on the outgoing tide cargos of wood, fuel and corn.
Annery kiln Annery kiln is a former limekiln of the estate of Annery, in the parish of Monkleigh, North Devon. It is situated on the left bank of the River Torridge near Half-Penny Bridge, built in 1835,Scrutton, Sue, Lord Rolle's Canal, Great Torrington, 2 ...
was thus situated at the end of the tidal reach and was a destination for cargos of limestone. A proposal was made in the 1820s for the bridge to be converted to a
drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable ...
which would enable the centre section to be raised to allow masted ships to pass under it upstream. The bridge was widened in 1865 and again in 1925.


Administration

The Bideford Bridge Trust held responsibility for the long bridge until 1968. During the first decade of the 17th century the bridge trustees were taken to court by the townspeople for using the trust's funds "for feasting and seeing plays". The townspeople won the case although it is not known if the trustees were forced to resign. When one of the arches of the bridge collapsed in 1968 the Department of Transport thenceforth assumed responsibility for the bridge. The history of the Bridge and its records is available in a booklet published by the Trust - 'The Long Bridge of Bideford Through the Centuries' by Frank Whiting and Peter Christie


Accidents

In 1886 a Ship called 'Edward Birkbeck' launched from a Bideford shipyard hit the bridge, but only caused small damage by knocking some of the stones out. In 1925 another incident took place on the bridge, during its widening, when a lorry came off the side of the bridge and crashed into the River Torridge; it is believed that both the people in the lorry survived. During the 1968 repair of a collapsed arch a crane toppled over on the bridge and a man was killed.


World War II

During
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 ...
the 10th arch of the bridge was being repaired, the police asked for ladders and scaffolding to be removed from the bridge to prevent potential invaders climbing up and capturing the bridge, during the war the home guard patrolled the bridge. Peter Christie - Bideford Bridge during wartime in Bideford Buzz


See also

* List of bridges over River Torridge


References

{{coord, 51.0165, -4.2034, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Bridges in Devon Bridges completed in the 14th century Stone bridges in England Grade I listed buildings in Devon Grade I listed bridges
Long Bridge Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mensur ...
Industrial archaeological sites in Devon Buildings and structures in Bideford