Thornborough Bridge

Thornborough Bridge
View from the south
Coordinates51°59′33″N 0°56′22″W / 51.99248°N 0.93935°W / 51.99248; -0.93935
CarriesPedestrians (from 1974)
A421 road (pre-1974)
CrossesPadbury Brook, tributary of River Great Ouse
LocaleBuckingham/Thornborough parish border, Buckinghamshire
Heritage statusGrade I listed structure
Characteristics
MaterialStone
Total length30m (approx)
Width4m (approx)
No. of spans6
Piers in water
3
History
Opened14th century
Location
Interactive map of Thornborough Bridge

Thornborough Bridge is situated on the original Bletchley to Buckingham road, now bypassed by a modern bridge in 1974 for the A421. The bridge is accessible to pedestrians from an adjacent lay-by.

The bridge straddles the parish boundaries of Thornborough and Buckingham, where the parish boundary follows the line of Padbury Brook (also known as The Twins), a tributary of the River Great Ouse. Dating back to the end of the 14th century,[1][2] it is the only surviving mediaeval bridge in Buckinghamshire. The parish division is marked by a boundary stone in the middle of the bridge.[3]

The stone bridge measures approximately 30 m (98 ft) long and 4 m (13 ft) wide, spanning the river with six low arches.[4] Three refuges are formed within the parapet on the south side.

The bridge is Grade I listed by English Heritage.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Thornborough Bridge, Buckingham". Transport Heritage. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  2. ↑ AVDC information board on-site "dates to 1400"
  3. ↑ "Parishes: Thornborough". A History of the County of Buckingham. Victoria History of the Counties of England. Vol. 4. 1927. pp. 237–242. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  4. ↑ "Plate 71: Thornborough and Buckingham, Thornborough Bridge". An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Buckinghamshire, Volume 2, North. 1913. p. 71. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  5. ↑ "Thornborough Bridge, Buckingham". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 23 January 2015.

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