Barnard Castle Bridge (That Part In Barnard Castle Civil Parish) And Attached Wall To South East

Barnard Castle Bridge spans the River Tees and was formerly located on the boundary between the counties of Durham and Yorkshire. It includes an adjoining wall and a retaining wall along Bridgegate. The bridge likely dates from the 14th century and was repaired in 1596, as indicated by a re-set inscription that now appears in the adjoining south-east wall on the approach to Bridgegate. The parapets were repaired following a flood in 1771. The bridge is constructed of ashlar and features four wide ribs on each of its two pointed arches, with three offsets flanking a pointed cutwater. The road-bed rises to its highest point over the eastern arch, and there are pedestrian refuges over the cutwater, one of which has the inscription "Y N R" for Yorkshire North Riding, marking the historical county boundary until 1974. The squinches at the north-west and south-east external corners have been renewed. Below Bridgegate, the retaining wall to the river bank includes a large, wide, pointed relieving arch, which may be associated with the nearby castle.