Newbridge is a largely residential

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to ...

on the western edge of

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Pl ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

Geography

The Newbridge electoral ward can be divided into three areas from south to north: *

Locksbrook Locksbrook is a light industrial and residential area in the west of Bath, England. It straddles the electoral wards of Newbridge and Kingsmead. Locksbrook lies on the north bank of the River Avon and is, effectively, the area between the rive ...

: an industrial and residential area between the River Avon and the former Mangotsfield and Bath railway line *Newbridge: a largely residential area alongside and in between Newbridge Road ( A4 road) and Newbridge Hill (

A431 road The A431 is an A road running from Bristol to Bath in England. It runs parallel to, and about to the north of, the A4, the principal route between Bristol and Bath on the south side of the River Avon. Route The A431 begins at a junction wi ...

), and also extending north-west alongside Penn Lea Road *Combe Park: an area in the north-east of the ward consisting of the

Royal United Hospital The Royal United Hospital (RUH) is a major acute-care hospital in the Weston suburb of Bath, England, which lies approximately west of the city centre. The hospital has 565 beds and occupies a site. It is the area's major accident and emergency ...

, Lansdown Cricket Club and residential housing alongside Combe Park road and Cedric Road. Bath Half Marathon1

The main shopping area in Newbridge is Chelsea Road, a small area of shops, restaurants and hairdressers. Shops include a bakery, a hardware shop, a

SPAR SPAR, originally DESPAR, styled as DE SPAR, is a Dutch multinational that provides branding, supplies and support services for independently owned and operated food retail stores. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, by Adriaan van Well, ...

supermarket, a cycle shop and nearby on Newbridge Road a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional se ...

. Bath's major hospital, the

, is in the north-east of the ward in Combe Park, bordering Weston village. Lansdown Cricket Club's ground is alongside the hospital. Weston Recreation Ground is in Newbridge ward. Newbridge is the location of Partis College, which was built as large block of

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...

s between 1825 and 1827. It is designated as a Grade I

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 I ...

. The

National Cycle Network The National Cycle Network (NCN) is the national cycling route network of the United Kingdom, which was established to encourage cycling and walking throughout Britain, as well as for the purposes of bicycle touring. It was created by the cha ...

Bristol and Bath Railway Path The Bristol and Bath Railway Path is a off-road cycleway, part of National Cycle Network National Cycle Route 4. It has a wide tarmacked surface, and was used for 2.4 million trips in 2007, increasing by 10% per year. It was built by the cy ...

runs westward from Newbridge to

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...

, and a continuation riverside cycle and footpath runs eastward into central Bath. Newbridge

Park and Ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system ( ...

is just off the A4 road on the western edge of the ward, alongside the Newbridge Meadows

village green A village green is a common open area within a village or other settlement. Historically, a village green was common grassland with a pond for watering cattle and other stock, often at the edge of a rural settlement, used for gathering cattle t ...

. Since boundary changes effected at the elections held on 2 May 2019 the ward now also includes two civil parishes outside the city boundary: Kelston and North Stoke.

History

The New Bridge

The area is named after the New Bridge over the River Avon outside Bath, built in 1734. This was built to replace a ford that was one of the last impediments to navigation between Bristol and Bath. The bridge had pierced spandrels and

arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vau ...

es on either side to allow flood water to pass easily. The bridge was widened and improved in the 1830s to the version that now carries the A4 road from Bath to Bristol out of Newbridge.

Development as a suburb

The Weston Hotel was built circa 1890 close to Weston railway station, and was a prominent building at the Bath end of Newbridge Road. It is a 4-storey building in the arts and crafts style, designed by architect William Frederick Unsworth, and was

Grade II listed 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 I ...

in 2011. It operated as a public house until 2019. This area was initially called Lower Weston as it was en route to Weston village, but is now the eastern end of Newbridge ward. From about 1902 to 1939 a tram service from central Bath to Newton St Loe operated down Newbridge Road and across the bridge. In 1915

Sidney Horstmann Sidney Adolph Horstmann, MBE (7 July 1881 – 11 July 1962) was a British engineer and businessman. Early life Sidney was the youngest son of the German clockmaker Gustav Horstmann, who moved to England about 1850. Gustav designed the world' ...

and his brothers built a large factory, Newbridge Works, in what was then the outskirts of Bath. The general engineering company, The Horstmann Gear Company, specialised in gas street lighting controls, time switches, gauges, and latterly central heating controls, used "Newbridge" as a trademark for some of its products. The factory closed in 2000, and the site was redeveloped for housing.

Schools

Educationally, Newbridge is part of the North West Bath area of

Bath and North East Somerset Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) is a unitary authority district in England. Bath and North East Somerset Council was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the county of Avon. It is part of the ceremonial county of Somerset. ...

. This area has three primary schools:
Newbridge Primary School

St Mary's Catholic Primary School

Weston All Saints CE VC Primary School
and one secondary school: *

Oldfield School Oldfield School is a secondary school, with a small sixth form, in Newbridge, Bath, England. Since February 2011, the school has had academy status, meaning that it operates outside the control of the local authority. Prior to 2012 the main sc ...

though at secondary school level, many of the girls from the Newbridge area attend

Hayesfield Girls' School Hayesfield Girls' School is an all-girls secondary school with a co-educational sixth form located in Bath, England. In August 2011, the school became an academy. The school operates from two main sites, about a seven-minute walk apart. The campu ...

and many of the boys attend

Beechen Cliff School Beechen Cliff School is a boys' secondary school in Bath, Somerset, England, with about 1,150 pupils. Its earliest predecessor school was founded in 1896. There are around 930 boys in years 7 to 11 and a co-educational sixth form of 402 pupils. ...

References

External links

{{Commons category
Newbridge ID 9732
Unitary Authority ward map, mysociety.org
Ward Profile – Newbridge
Bath and North East Somerset Areas of Bath, Somerset Electoral wards in Bath and North East Somerset Bridges across the River Avon, Bristol