Summary

Accommodation bridge over canal. Constructed circa 1779 and widened in about 1833, by the Stroudwater Canal Company.

Description

MATERIALS: it is built mostly handmade red bricks, with coursed and dressed limestone to the west face.

DESCRIPTION: this is a single-span bridge with a semi-circular arched opening. The west side is of coursed limestone up to the inclined stone band, above which is a brick parapet with plain stone coping that appears to have been rebuilt in the second half of the C20. The opposing face is of brick with a flush keystone that cuts through the projecting drip mould, and a brick parapet. The underside of the structure, where the different phases of construction are clearly visible, is also of brick. The wing walls are gently curved and terminate in plain pilasters surmounted by pyramidal caps.

History

The Stroudwater Navigation, built in 1775-9, was designed to link the River Severn at Framilode to Stroud, allowing coal to be brought from Shropshire, Staffordshire and the Forest of Dean to the textile mills of the Stroud valleys. The Thames and Severn Canal, constructed in 1783-9, was designed to run eastwards from Stroud, eventually linking the River Severn to the River Thames at Inglesham, near Lechlade. The Cotswold Canals, as they are also known, were generally successful, though the Thames and Severn in particular suffered serious technical failings which compromised its profitability; despite this, both canals continued in use well into the C20.

Ryeford Bridge was constructed in circa 1779 by the Stroudwater Canal Company. It is situated on a historic route running north to south between Stonehouse and Kings Stanley. In 1833 the Canal Company widened the canal bridge following difficulties experienced by vehicle traffic due to the narrowness of both the bridge and the adjacent lane.

Reasons for Listing

Ryeford Bridge is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest: as a late-C18 structure on the Stroudwater Canal and for its widening in the early C19 which provides evidence for its historical development
Group value: it forms a strong group with other canal-related buildings that are listed and also with the Grade II listed Ryeford House to the north-west

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26466679

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)