Bewdley Bridge was a fortified bridge constructed in 1483 at Bewdley, Worcestershire, to across the River Severn. Its gatehouse was used as a gaol and to collect tolls. The bridge was damaged during the English Civil War of the 1640s and 1650s, and in 1795 it collapsed. A new bridge, constructed by Thomas Telford, replaced it and remains in use today.
History
The medieval settlement of Bewdley had grown during the 12th and 13th centuries. It was an inland port in this period and, by 1336, had a ferry crossing over the River Severn, competing with Worcester Bridge for trade.
There had been a bridge at Bewdley since 1447, when one was built at the end of Load Street, probably using a combination of timber and stone. Under the influence of Richard, the Duke of York, Bewdley’s streets were redeveloped, forming a grid around the new bridge. During the Wars of the Roses, Bewdley was held by Yorkist faction, but in 1459 their rival Lancastrians took the town and destroyed the bridge. Some of the masonry may have been used to repair Worcester’s city walls.
A second bridge was built on the same site in 1460, protected by “Bridge Gate”, although the location of this defence is uncertain. Traffic increased, and in 1483 it was decided to build a new stone bridge just to the south of the old site. Richard III gave 20 marks (£13) for the work,1It is difficult to accurately compare early modern financial figures with modern equivalents. See our article on medieval money for more details. with further money being donated by Edward IV.
The new bridge had five arches, with a substantial gatehouse in the middle of it, which on one side housed toll collectors, and on the other the town gaol, known as the “Bridge House”. A chapel, dedicated to St Anne, was built at the foot of the bridge. Two town officials were appointed each year to manage the bridge and the chapel.
During the First English Civil War of the 1640s, between the followers of King Charles and Parliament, Bewdley was held by the Royalists. In 1644, in order to protect the retreating army of King Charles from the pursuing forces of Sir William Waller, they broke down the second stone arch, preventing him from crossing the Severn; this are was replaced it with timber, and several of the other arches were patched up in a similar fashion. In the Second Civil War of 1651, Cromwell sent forces to seize the bridge after the Parliamentary victory at the Battle of Worcester. The troops intercepted and captured many of the fleeing Royalists.
After the civil wars, the town authorities lacked the money to put good the damage, and the bridge appears to have been maintained in a patch-work condition of repair for the next century. In the spring of 1795, however, there was heavy snowfall followed by a sudden thaw; the rush of water down the Severn undermined the bridge.
An Act of Parliament was passed to build a new bridge. It was designed by the architect Thomas Telford, with three arches rather than five, at a cost of £11,000, and located upstream, back at the position of the 1447 and 1460 bridges. In 1798, the work was completed and the old bridge and the chapel demolished. The new bridge officially opened in 1801 and remains in use today.
Bibliography
- Burton, John R. (1883) A History of Bewdley: With Concise Accounts of Some Neighbouring Parishes. London, UK: William Reeves.
- Buteux, V., (1995) Archaeological assessment of Bewdley (and Wribbenhall), Hereford and Worcester. Worcestershire County Council Archaeological Service internal report, Number 298.
- Page, William and J. W. Willis-Bund (eds). (1924) A History of the County of Worcester: Volume 4. London, UK: Victoria County History.
Attribution
The text of this page is licensed under under CC BY-NC 2.0.
Images on this page include those drawn from the Geograph website, as of 27 May 2020, and attributed and licensed as follows: adapted from “Reconstruction of Bewdley Bridge“, author David Stowell, released under CC BY-SA 2.0.