Ribchester Bridge | |
|---|---|
 The northern side of the bridge in 2006 | |
| Coordinates | 53°48′57″N 2°30′52″W / 53.81593°N 2.51435°W |
| Carries | B6245 (Ribchester Road) |
| Crosses | River Ribble |
| Locale | Clayton-le-Dale, Lancashire, England |
| Heritage status | Grade II listed |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 71.8 metres (236 ft) |
| Longest span | 23.2 metres (76 ft) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1774 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | Yes |
| Toll | No |
| Location | |
 | |
Ribchester Bridge is a toll-free, three-span bridge over the River Ribble near Ribchester, Lancashire, England. A Grade II listed structure, located about 0.75 miles (1.21 km) east of the village, it actually crosses the river between the civil parishes of Clayton-le-Dale and Dutton.[1] The bridge carries the two-lane traffic of the B6245 Ribchester Road.[2]
Thought to have been constructed in 1774, it is built of sandstone and consists of three segmental arches on triangular cutwaters, with a string course and a solid parapet.[3][1] The bridge has an overall length 71.8 metres (236 ft) and width of 6.8 metres (22 ft) (deck plus 300-millimetre (12 in)-wide parapets). The central span in the largest at 23.2 metres (76 ft) with a rise of 5.5 metres (18 ft), with the others of differing, slightly smaller dimensions.[2]
This point on the river is above the tidal limit, the banks approximately 27 metres (90 ft) above the Ordnance datum.[4] It has been an important crossing for millennia with the Roman fort here positioned to guard it;[5] however, the origin of the earliest bridge is uncertain.[6] The current bridge's predecessor had been constructed in 1669.[7] William Stukeley in his 'Itinerarium Curiosum', published in 1721, described it as "a noble bridge of four very large arches" half a mile above Ribchester.[8] The county authorities must have been aware of problems, as in 1769 tenders were invited for its reconstruction, but it collapsed during a flood in 1772.[7][9]
That bridge had also replaced another of unknown age.[9] A charter of 1354 gave permission for the building of a bridge of wood or stone across the river at a place called 'Madynford', also granting some land for the use of the ferryman; however, this was possibly considerably downstream, near Osbaldeston Hall,[6] where a ferry-crossing was still recorded in the mid-19th century.[4]
