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St George's Bridge was a bridge over the
The bridge's date of construction is believed to have been about 1262. 
The bridge was variously described as ''Walshebrugge'' (in 1336), and ''Walshemanne's brigge'' (in 1351). A public convenience was built on it in about 1496. One span was a timber
New discoveries at Frankwell site
*Blackwall, Anthony, ''Historic Bridges of Shropshire'', Shropshire Libraries, 1985, *Jervoise, E., ''Ancient Bridges of Wales & Western England'', EP Publishing Ltd., 1976, , first published 1936 {{River Severn, state= collapsed History of Shropshire Archaeological sites in Shropshire Bridges completed in the 13th century Bridges in Shrewsbury Bridges across the River Severn Demolished bridges in England Buildings and structures demolished in 1795
St George's Bridge was a bridge over the River Severn
The River Severn (, ), at long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in t ...
in Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
, England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
; so named as it was close to the medieval St George's Hospital. It connected Frankwell, an old suburb of the town, to the town centre via Mardol. The gate on the town side was called ''Mardol Gate'' and is located where the Mardol Quay Gardens are. The gate on the other side was called ''Welsh Gate'' or ''St George's Gate''. The bridge, sometimes now known as the Old Welsh Bridge, was demolished in 1795 and was replaced with the Welsh Bridge.
History
The bridge's date of construction is believed to have been about 1262.
The bridge was variously described as ''Walshebrugge'' (in 1336), and ''Walshemanne's brigge'' (in 1351). A public convenience was built on it in about 1496. One span was a timber 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 b ...
, while several shops had been built near the middle of the bridge. It is recorded that one tower was still in existence until late in the bridge's life. Above the main tower was a statue of Richard Plantagenet, removed in 1791.
In 1539 John Leland described it as follows:
... the greatest, fayrest and highest upon the streame is the Welsh Bridge having 6 great Arches of Stone, soe called because it is the Way out of the Towne into Walles. This Bridge standeth on the West Syde of the Towne, and hath at the one End of it a great Gate to enter by into the Towne, and at the other End towardes Wales a might strong Towre to prohibit Enimies to enter into the Bridge.The bridge was painted by
JMW Turner
Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbul ...
in 1794.
The Welsh Bridge however was built about 80 yards (73m) further downstream, connecting Barker Street (at what was ''Cripple Lode Gate'') with Frankwell. This bridge remains to this day and still carries traffic over the Severn. The section of Barker Street which is on the bridge end has been called Bridge Street since the building of the new bridge.
In 2004, the council installed an information board about the history of the bridge and Mardol, at the bottom of Mardol on the approach to the site of the bridge. Only one dry arch of the old St George's Bridge now remains, on the Frankwell side. The arch was excavated during the construction of Theatre Severn in the late 2000s and is preserved within its foundations.
Saint George
Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...
is the patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...
of England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. It is also given to the ( CofE) church in Frankwell, which is within walking distance of the Welsh Bridge/site of St George's Bridge.
See also
* English Bridge *Crossings of the River Severn
This is a list of crossings of the River Severn in Great Britain (including bridges, tunnels, ferries and fords), in order from source to mouth.
The Severn has historically been a very important and busy river, and has been bridged throughou ...
* History of Shrewsbury
* History of Shropshire
Notes
References
New discoveries at Frankwell site
*Blackwall, Anthony, ''Historic Bridges of Shropshire'', Shropshire Libraries, 1985, *Jervoise, E., ''Ancient Bridges of Wales & Western England'', EP Publishing Ltd., 1976, , first published 1936 {{River Severn, state= collapsed History of Shropshire Archaeological sites in Shropshire Bridges completed in the 13th century Bridges in Shrewsbury Bridges across the River Severn Demolished bridges in England Buildings and structures demolished in 1795