Clare College Bridge, Cambridge on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Clare Bridge is the ninth 
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
overall and the fifth River Cam
The River Cam () is the main river flowing through Cambridge in eastern England. After leaving Cambridge, it flows north and east before joining the River Great Ouse to the south of Ely, Cambridgeshire, Ely, at Pope's Corner. The total distanc ...
bridge on its middle stream in Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
. The bridge now connects the Old Court of Clare College
Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...
to Memorial Court, which was dedicated in 1926. It is a Grade I listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
.
It is the oldest still-functioning bridge in Cambridge, built in 1639-40 by Thomas Grumbold (d.1659). It was restored in 1969.
It is a three-span bridge in Early Renaissance
Renaissance art (1350 – 1620) is the painting, sculpture, and decorative arts of the period of European history known as the Renaissance, which emerged as a distinct style in Italy in about AD 1400, in parallel with developments which occurr ...
style, built of Ketton stone ashlar. The balustrade
A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its ...
has carved relief panels on the pedestals and is surmounted by ball finials. One of the fourteen stone balls has a missing section. Many different tales are told to explain the missing section of the globe second from the left on the south side of the bridge. The story most commonly cited by members of college is that the builder of the bridge was not paid the full amount for his work and so removed the segment to balance the shortfall in payment. A more likely explanation is that a wedge of stone cemented into the ball became loose and fell out.
See also
*List of bridges in Cambridge
The following is a list and brief history of the bridges in Cambridge, England, principally those over the River Cam of which there are 26 (as of 2021).
The River Cam enters Cambridge from the south west of the city and heads north past many of ...
* Template:River Cam map
References
Bridges in Cambridge Bridges across the River Cam Pedestrian bridges in England Stone bridges in England Arch bridges in England Clare College, Cambridge {{UK-bridge-struct-stub