Polam Lane Bridge

907/0/10024 POLAM LANE 16-AUG-06 Polam Lane Bridge

II Footbridge, spanning the River Skerne c. 1891 of steel, iron and sandstone. North and south coursed rusticated sandstone abutments with impost blocks each surmounted by two pillars extending above the deck, topped with moulded capstones. The bridge abutments support a steel girder bearing the bridge deck, supplemented by a pair of cast iron Corinthian columns placed in the centre of the riverbed. The bridge deck has an unusual style of ornate cast iron handrails with curvilinear supporting iron side brackets. History: Polam Lane Bridge was built to give access across the River Skerne between the end of Polam Lane to the north of the river and the newly built Victoria Embankment to the south. It also gave access to one of the main entrances to South Park, originally laid out in 1851 when it was known as Bellasses Park. The bridge design was put out to tender in March 1891 and it was constructed shortly afterwards. It appears on the Second Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1899.

Bridges forming an essential part of a registered landscape are considered to meet the criteria for listing in a national context, even if they are not architecturally elaborate. This iron footbridge of c 1891 has decorative handrails of an unusual design and provides access to the northern corner of South Park across the River Skerne. Most importantly, it forms an essential element of the historic and registered South Park and it therefore fulfils the national criteria for listing.