Summary

Laddingford Bridge, 87m ENE of Laddingford House

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 19 June 2014. The record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes a medieval multi-span bridge situated over the River Teise at Laddingford. It carries the road known as Gravelly Ways over the Teise.

The bridge is constructed of coursed and dressed masonry with two pointed arches and a later brick parapet. It is just over 4m wide and nearly 9m long. The bridge is likely to date to the 14th century, although the parapets were rebuilt at a later date and are adorned with stone coping. It has pointed cutwaters. There is curved stone coping adorning the parapets.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Multi-span bridges are structures of two or more arches supported on piers. They were constructed throughout the medieval and post-medieval periods for the use of pedestrians and packhorse or vehicular traffic, crossing rivers or streams, often replacing or supplementing earlier fords. During the early medieval period timber was used, but from the 12th century stone (and later brick) bridges became more common, with the piers sometimes supported by a timber raft. Most stone or brick bridges were constructed with pointed arches, although semicircular and segmental examples are also known. A common feature is the presence of stone ashlar ribs underneath the arch. The bridge abutments and revetting of the river banks also form part of the bridge. Where bridges have been altered in later centuries, original features are sometimes concealed behind later stonework, including remains of earlier timber bridges.

Despite some later alterations, Laddingford Bridge survives well and is a good example of a multi-span bridge. Deposits buried underneath the bridge will preserve valuable artefactual, ecofactual and environmental evidence, providing information about the human and natural history of the site prior to the construction of the bridge.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Kent HER TQ 64 NE 5. NMR TQ 64 NE 5. PastScape 412304,

Source: Historic England