Lovelace Bridges
The Lovelace Bridges are a series of bridges built by William King, 1st Earl of Lovelace (1805-1893) on his estate at East Horsley, Surrey in the 1860s. Fifteen bridges were built to facilitate the transport of timber by horse-drawn carts. The bridges were built where the tracks crossed existing bridleways or roads. Ten bridges still exist.[1]
The bridges were constructed from local flint and brick; they all had plaques with their name and dates. Most of the bridges are horseshoe shaped "Moorish" design, between a span of six feet at Meadow Plat to eighteen feet for the Dorking Arch, which crosses Crocknorth road. The Earl had his own brickworks in West Horsley/Ockham and the lime for the mortar would have been local, possibly from chalk pits in Kiln Field Coppice. The saw mill was near Brockhole Cross, near the junction with Outdowns on the Epsom Road.
A 'Lovelace Bridges Trail' has been devised by the Horsley Countryside Preservation Society[2] and there is a project to conserve the bridges managed by Forest Enterprise England.
Remaining bridges
There aree ten remaining Lovelace Bridges and all but one are Grade II listed structures.
| Bridge | Location | Grid Reference | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Briary Hill East Bridge | Honeysuckle Bottom, East Horsley | TQ09965081 | [3] |
| Briary Hill West Bridge | Honeysuckle Bottom, East Horsley | TQ09855082 | [4] |
| Dorking Arch Bridge | Crocknorth Road, East Horsley | TQ09985116 | [5] |
| Hermitage Bridge | Sheepwalk Lane, East Horsley | TQ10205021 | [6] |
| Meadow Plat Bridge | Effingham | TQ107508 | |
| Oldlands Bridge | Outdowns, Effingham | TQ10695218 | [7] |
| Raven Arch Bridge | Honeysuckle Bottom, East Horsley | TQ09625106 | [8] |
| Robin Hood Bridge | Green Dene, East Horsley | TQ09695133 | [9] |
| Stoney Dene Bridge | Effingham | TQ10575175 | [10] |
| Troy Bridge | Sheepwalk Lane, East Horsley | TQ09585023 | [11] |
References
- ↑ "East Horsley, The Lovelace Bridges". https://www.exploringsurreyspast.org.uk/themes/places/surrey/guildford/east_horsley/east_horsley_the_lovelace_bridges/.
- ↑ Horsley Countryside Preservation Society
- ↑ National Heritage List 1294884: Briary Hill (East) Bridge (Grade II listing)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1029417: Upper Briary Hill Bridge (Grade II listing)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1187984: Dorking Arch (Grade II listing)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1377858: Hermitage Bridge (Grade II listing)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1029395: Oldlands Bridge (Grade II listing)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1029416: Raven Arch (Grade II listing)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1294880: Robins Wood Arch (Grade II listing)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1246731: Stony Dene Bridge (Grade II listing)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1029426: Troy Bridge (Grade II listing)