High Bridge, Lincoln
| High Bridge | |
| Lincolnshire | |
|---|---|
| |
| Location | |
| Carrying: | Lincoln High Street |
| Crossing: | River Witham |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SK97517116 |
| Location: | 53°13’43"N, -0°32’27"W |
| Structure | |
| Material: | Stone |
| History | |
| Built 1160 | |
| Information | |
High Bridge carries the High Street across the River Witham in Lincoln, the ancient city which is the county town of Lincolnshire. It is the oldest bridge in the United Kingdom which still has buildings on it.
The bridge was built in about 1160 and a bridge chapel was built, dedicated to Thomas Becket, in 1235 on the east side of the bridge. The chapel was removed in 1762. The current row of timber framed shops on the west side of the bridge date from about 1550. The two upper storeys of the shops are jettied forward and at the corners there are carved figures of angels. The shops were partly dismantled and re-erected in 1901–02 under the supervision of the Lincoln architect William Watkins.[1]
Bridges like this, with houses or shops upon them, were common in the Middle Ages, the best known being London Bridge. Most though have long since been demolished because of their obstruction to the river flow and to shipping.
The Glory Hole is the name given by generations of boaters to the High Bridge.[2] It has a narrow and crooked arch which sets a limit on the size of boats using the Witham and going from Brayford Pool, at the start of Foss Dyke, to Boston and the sea.
Since the 14th century the bridge has contributed to floods in Lincoln and after any heavy rain the bridge is virtually unnavigable, which may be why it got its name. A design by William Jessop in the 19th century to reroute the waters of the Witham through the south of the town was never implemented.
The bridge is both a grade I listed building[3] and a scheduled monument.[4]
See also
- Pulteney Bridge, Bath
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about High Bridge, Lincoln) |
References
- ↑ Nikolaus Pevsner: The Buildings of England: Lincolnshire, 1964; 1989 Penguin Books ISBN 978-0-300-09620-0page 523
- ↑ Lincoln, http://www.waterscape.com/in-your-area/lincolnshire/lincoln, retrieved 22 March 2011
- ↑ National Heritage List 1388574: High Bridge (Grade I listing)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1005030: High Bridge, Lincoln (Scheduled ancient monument entry)