Ripley Road Bridge (SPC8 45)

MATERIALS: coursed and squared, quarry-faced Derbyshire gritstone, with ashlar dressings, red-brick soffit linings, and wrought-iron and steel girders.

DESCRIPTION: the bridge is formed of four spans. The skew arch spans the former turnpike road, now the A610, with three, square-set arches spanning the south bank of the River Amber, the river itself, and its north bank. The bridge masonry walling comprises quarry-faced, coursed squared gritstone, carrying tooled and chamfered ashlar imposts bands. The arches are formed of v-jointed, rusticated ashlar voussoirs, which return as quoins to the brick soffit linings. These arches are flanked by later girders laid on masonry extensions to the earlier bridge piers and abutments. The masonry extensions were designed to complement the appearance of the original stonework, structure, and abut the earlier masonry with straight joints. The wide, original south pier was detailed to accommodate the angle between the skew arch and the adjacent square-set arch, with two additional slender piers of c.1875-6. On each side of the bridge the extensions support a riveted, wrought-iron and steel girder deck, with steel railings. The bottom edges of the girders are carried across the original arch faces, but the inside faces of the original abutments, piers, arch soffits and sections of spandrels remain visible. The stonework is quarry-faced squared and coursed gritstone, with tooled ashlar imposts bands (with chamfered edges) and V-jointed rusticated ashlar voussoirs, also tooled. These return as quoins on the soffit, which is lined with patched red brick.

Pursuant to s.1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that the C20 metal decking is not of special architectural or historic interest.