Twizell Bridge
| Twizell Bridge | |
| Northumberland | |
|---|---|
 Twizell Bridge viewed from the south | |
| Location | |
| Type: | Arch bridge |
| Carrying: | Footpath |
| Crossing: | River Till |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NT88484330 |
| Location: | 55°40’60"N, 2°11’6"W |
| Structure | |
| Type: | Arch bridge |
| History | |
| Built 1511 | |
| Information | |
Twizell Bridge (also spelt Twizel Bridge) is a Tudor-age stone arch bridge which crosses the River Till near Duddo in Northumberland. It is a Grade I listed structure and a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and no longer carries vehicular traffic.[1]
The bridge played a role in the Battle of Flodden in 1513.[2]
History
Twizel Bridge was built in 1511, when it provided the only dry crossing over the River Till between its confluence with the River Tweed and the village of Etal some five miles to the south-east. It was the longest stone span of any bridge in England for three centuries.[3] Local legend suggests that it was built by a lady of the Selby family, whose seat was Twizell Castle nearby.
The bridge is described by the antiquary Francis Grose in his 1784 book, The Antiquities of England and Wales, as "Twisle Bridge of Stone, one bow, but greate and stronge".[4]
On the morning of 9 September 1513, the English army commanded by Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey undertook a march northwards to outflank the invading Scottish army commanded by King James IV of Scotland, which was encamped at Flodden Hill. The English artillery train and vanguard under Edmund Howard crossed the Till at Twizel Bridge, while the main English force crossed by fords and smaller bridges upstream.[5] By making this manoeuvre, Surrey forced King James to abandon his secure position on Flodden Hill and the resulting battle that afternoon was fought on ground which was disadvantageous to the Scottish tactics and contributed to their defeat.[6]
Alterations in 1770 and 1820 added small flood arches and a rebuilt parapet with a decorative dentil cornice. The bridge carried the main road from Hawick to Berwick-upon-Tweed (now the A698) until 1983, when a modern bridge was completed immediately to the south.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Twizell Bridge) |
References
- ↑ "Twizel Bridge, Cornhill-on-Tweed / Duddo - Northumberland". historicengland.org.uk. https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/heritage-at-risk/search-register/list-entry/2067826.
- ↑ "The tiny stone bridge that changed the course of British history" (in en-GB). The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/articles/the-tiny-stone-bridge-that-changed-the-course-of-british-history/.
- ↑ Knowles, Eleanor. "Twizel Bridge". Engineering Timelines. http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=20.
- ↑ Francis Grose (1784). "Twizell Castle and Bridge". The Antiquities of England and Wales. Great Britain: Hooper & Wigstead. pp. 141–143. https://books.google.com/books?id=u5cFAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA141. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ↑ Hallam-Baker, Clive (2012). The Battle of Flodden: How and Why. The Remembering Floden Project. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-9573313-0-3.
- ↑ Hallam-Baker (2012), pp. 147-148