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Latitude: 53.1895 / 53°11'22"N
Longitude: -1.6172 / 1°37'2"W
OS Eastings: 425671
OS Northings: 365893
OS Grid: SK256658
Mapcode National: GBR 587.5XR
Mapcode Global: WHCDG.4345
Plus Code: 9C5W59QM+R4
Entry Name: Rowsley Bridge
Listing Date: 22 June 1950
Last Amended: 3 February 2020
Grade: II*
Source: Historic England
Source ID: 1263843
English Heritage Legacy ID: 429494
ID on this website: 101263843
Location: Rowsley, Derbyshire Dales, Derbyshire, DE4
County: Derbyshire
District: Derbyshire Dales
Civil Parish: Rowsley
Traditional County: Derbyshire
Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Derbyshire
Church of England Parish: Rowsley St Katherine
Church of England Diocese: Derby
Tagged with: Road bridge
Rowsley Bridge, originating in the C15, widened in the 1920s.
Rowsley Bridge, originating in the C15, widened in the 1920s.
MATERIALS: constructed from sandstone ashlar with a modern road surface laid on granite setts.
PLAN: the bridge spans the river Derwent, and is orientated roughly north to south.
DESCRIPTION: a multi-span bridge of five arches. The east side is essentially unaltered; the wide, stepped pointed arches are separated by triangular cutwaters with stepped sloping tops. The straight parapet has triangular coping stones. The west side of the bridge replicates the general form, though has segmental arches and the parapet has flat coping stones. The parapet wall has a stone inscribed ‘ROWSLEY BRIDGE / WIDENED 1925-6 / J W HORTON, M INST CE / COUNTY SURVEYOR / C F TOMLINSON / CONTRACTOR’.
Rowsley Bridge is purported to be C15 in origin. It crosses the Derwent at the confluence with the Wye, on a major route, now the A6.
The bridge, which was initially much narrower, became incapable of coping with the increased size and amount of traffic in the early C20. In the early 1920s a solution was sought and various options considered. Newspaper accounts of the period prove the high public regard of the ancient structure, and the opposition to its demolition and replacement. The local council finally resolved to widen the bridge, extending it on one side and replicating its approximate form.
Rowsley Bridge is listed at Grade II*, for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* although the bridge was widened in the early C20, it continues to illustrate its medieval form, with well-constructed pointed arches and cutwaters on the east;
* the bridge retains a substantial proportion of its early fabric;
* it is a well-executed structure which illustrates medieval bridge-building techniques, and its continued use and adaptation is an on-going testament to medieval road building in England.
Historic interest:
* it is a significant example of a medieval bridge which has the potential to provide evidence of engineering techniques of the period.
Group value:
* forming a picturesque ensemble with several listed buildings to the west.
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.
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