Drive Bridge over River Gaunless

Drive bridge, 1757, for Bishop Richard Trevor.

MATERIALS: coursed squared sandstone blocks, with finely tooled ashlar voussoirs, archivolt and copings.

PLAN: the single-span bridge crosses the River Gaunless at right angles, with approach causeways to either end, which splay out at acute angles in two stages.

DESCRIPTION: not inspected, information from other sources. The bridge comprises a single, segmental arch 3.62m wide with a span of about 12m. Each elevation has a single arch ring composed of voussoirs and a raised keystone, all surmounted by a narrow archivolt of square section that sits proud of the ring but flush with the keystone. The spandrels are brought flush with the archivolt and merge with the parapet walling (there is no string course to mark the level of the road deck). The parapet copings are flat-topped with chamfered edges. The short, ramped approach causeways have a chamfered setback at the level of the archivolt springing, but similarly are undifferentiated from the wing walls that surmount them. The elevations are identical except for the keystone on the western (downstream) face which is inscribed RD 1757 (RD standing for Richard Dunelm, or Bishop Richard Trevor of Durham). There is a pedestrian, cast-iron kissing gate at the bridge’s north-east corner, with an octagonal gatepost with ornate finial; the uprights and rails of the gate and accompanying enclosure are formed from simple rectangular bars.