Packhorse bridge

Packhorse bridge

A packhorse bridge is a bridge intended to carry packhorses (horses loaded with sidebags or panniers) across a river or stream. Typically a packhorse bridge consists of one or more narrow (one horse wide) masonry arches, and has low parapets so as not to interfere with the horse's panniers.cite web | title = Packhorse Cargo | publisher = cottontown.org | url = http://www.cottontown.org/page.cfm?pageid=698&language=eng | accessdate = January 9 | accessyear = 2007 ]

Packhorse bridges were often built on the trade routes (often called packhorse routes) that formed major transport arteries across Europe and Great Britain until the coming of the turnpike roads and canals in the eighteenth century.cite web | title = Packhorse Cargo | publisher = cottontown.org | url = http://www.cottontown.org/page.cfm?pageid=698&language=eng | accessdate = January 9 | accessyear = 2007 ] Before the road-building efforts of Napoleon, all crossings of the Alps were on packhorse trails; [Maxwell G. Lay, "Ways of the World: A History of the World's Roads" (Rutgers University Press) 1992:23-25; 96.] travellers' carriages were dismantled and transported over the mountain passes by ponies and mule trains.

urviving packhorse bridges

Examples of surviving packhorse bridges can be found in the following places.

England

*Anstey, Leicestershire
*Ashford-in-the-Water, Derbyshire
*Barrowford, Lancashire
*Bingley, West Yorkshire
*Chew Stoke, Somerset
*Clun, Shropshire
*Great Haywood, Staffordshire; "Essex Bridge"
*Hayfield, Derbyshire
*Horner, Somerset
*Marsden, West Yorkshire; "Mellor Bridge" and "Close Gate Bridge"
*Membury, Devon
*Moulton, Suffolk
*Seathwaite, Borrowdale, Cumbria; "Stockley Bridge"
*Sidford, Devon
*Stoneclough, Greater Manchester
*Sutton, Bedfordshire
*Tamworth, Staffordshire
*Wellow, Somerset
*Goyt Valley, Derbyshire (relocated from original site)
*Yorkshire Bridge, Derbyshire

cotland

*Stow, Scottish Borders
*Carrbridge, Scottish Highlands

Wales

*Caergwrle, Flintshire

Isle of Man

*Ballasalla, Isle of Man; "Monks' Bridge"

References


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