Worcester Bridge was a fortified bridge built across the River Severn, at Worcester, in Worcestershire. Constructed at the start of the 14th century, it survived largely intact until it was replaced by a more modern crossing and demolished in 1781.
History
11th-13th centuries
By Anglo-Saxon times, the city of Worcester had probably acquired a bridge across the River Sever,n that ran past the town. A bridge had definitely been constructed by the late 11th century, crossing the river at the north-western corner of the walled town.
Worcester Bridge was the only bridge across the Severn between Gloucester and Bridgnorth, which were around 68 miles (109 km) apart by road. The crossing brought travelers and trade from across the region, bringing great prosperity to the town. Indeed, eventually the number of visitors began to cause problems for the local priory, who were expected to provide them with hospitality. The city’s Bar Gate controlled access from the bridge into the city.
14th-17th centuries
In the early years of the 14th century, Worcester began to consider rebuilding its existing bridge. The rest of the city walls had been improved by a sequence of investments in the decades between 1252 and 1310, which may have encouraged the city to redevelop the bridge as well.
Work began around 1313, and Bishop Thomas Cobham gave the plan the backing of the Church. By 1328, the city was granted the right to raise pontage – a special tax to maintain bridges – for a period of three years, implying that the new bridge was complete.
The new bridge was constructed in stone, with six arches resting on piers across the river. A fortified gatehouse, which became known as Bridge Gate, guarded the middle of the crossing, replacing the need for Bar Gate. The bridge would have probably resembled Monnow Bridge, which still survives in Monmouth. A water bailiff, appointed annually, was responsible for its upkeep. In the 1540s, the antiquarian John Leland described it as “a royal peace of worke, high and stronge”.
During the English Civil war of the 1640s, Worcester was soon occupied by the Royalists. A defensive earthwork was constructed on the west side of the river, to protect access to the bridge. Fighting occurred in Worcester in 1646, when a Parliamentary force successfully besieged the city. Then, in 1651, when a Scottish force occupied the city, before their defeat by Parliamentary forces at the Battle of Worcester – the city was badly looted in the aftermath . After the conclusion of the war, the bridge and its gatehouse were repaired between 1655 and 1658.
18th century
In 1702, the gate tower on Worcester Bridge was pulled down. The stones that had made up two of its turrets were reused to build a watchman’s hut and a store-shed nearby.
Little futher work was done on the bridge and by the 1760s, it was in poor repair and considered too narrow for the traffic now passing the river. Worcester’s MPs donated £3,000 for either the adaption of the existing bridge or the construction of a new one.
An 1768 Act of Parliament authorised the construction of a new bridge, with space for vehicles and pedestrians, just south of the old one. Work was completed by 1780, at a total cost of £29,843 and in September 1781 Worcester Bridge was then demolished. This took considerable effort, as one contemporary noted that its piers were:
“so strong as to be capable of bearing any weight and were with the utmost difficulty demolished; the openings were covered with double arches each consisting of three ribs and the interstices filled up with small stones and grout which by time was become one solid mass.”
No part of Worcester Bridge survives above ground today, although archaeological remains may exist below ground.
Bibliography
- Oxford Archaeology. (2007) Worcester’s city walls – Conservation Management Plan. Oxford Archaeology: Oxford, UK.
- Page, William and J. W. Willis-Bund (eds) (1924) “The city of Worcester: Cathedral and Priory”, in the Victoria County History of Worcestershire Volume 4.
Attribution
The text of this page is licensed under under CC BY-NC 2.0.
Photographs on this page include those drawn from the Wikimedia website, as of 29 May 2020, and attributed and licensed as follows: “Monmouth – Morrow Bridge“, author Bob Crowther, released under CC BY-SA 2.0.
