Summary

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 12/10/2016

A multi-span bridge crossing the River Yeo.

Description

A multi-span bridge originating in the C15 with later partial rebuilding and alteration; it is constructed of local lias with Ham stone dressings, and brick and coursed stone to the upper sections. The bridge, orientated north to south, spans the River Yeo north of Long Load village, connecting that, and Long Sutton parishes.
It has five arches, the outer four of which are segmental pointed, with a wider and taller segmental arch to the centre. The eastern, upstream side has stout cut-water piers between the double-chamfered arches; the western side is plain, with a single chamfer to the arches. It has dressed stone coping and steel railings with curved vertical fixtures.
The span terminates with squat, square, stone-capped piers adjoining low walls. To the south west is a narrow flight of stone steps providing access to the water. Stones are stacked in diagonal courses forming a revetment to the south-west bank; the north-west bank has a wall of roughly coursed lias stone with lime stone coping.

The asset was previously listed twice also at List entry 1056567. This entry was removed from the List on 18th November 2015.

History

A multi-span bridge was constructed over the River Yeo at Long Load in the C15. Records from quarter sessions hearings in Wells report an unspecified amount of damage to the bridge caused by the Civil War, and in 1649 an application was made for funds for repair. A record from 1676 states the bridge to be ‘greatly broken and decayed’, so it is assumed that repairs, which involved the complete rebuilding of the central arch, took place after that date. In 1814 iron railings replaced a stone parapet, and the bridge was widened at a cost of £452; the plain west side is likely to have been rebuilt at this point. In 1985 replacement steel railings and coping were installed.

Reasons for Listing

Long Load Bridge is designated at Grade II* for the following principal reasons:

* Historical interest: the bridge originated in the late-medieval period and has had successive phases of development, each of which is evident in the fabric;
* Historical interest: documentary evidence survives which suggests that the bridge was partially damaged during the English Civil War;
* Architectural interest: the upstream side is a good composition, its cut-water piers practical and attractive in their design to resist the force of the water;
* Intactness: it consists of historic fabric from the C15 to the C19.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17554572

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

• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The Shredded Chef: 120 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy