Forge Bridge And Weir

The asset was previously listed twice also under the parish of Leintwardine at List entry 1301691. This entry was removed from the List on 19 December 2023.

This entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 20 December 2023 to remove references to duplicate list entry, to add text about weir from de-listed duplicate list entry, measurements converted to metric and to reformat text to current standards.

BURRINGTON CP

SO 45397500

SO 47 SE

4/7

Forge Bridge and Weir

11.6.59

II*

Accommodation bridge over the River Teme. Circa 1772. Sandstone ashlar and coursed sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings. Main elliptical arch-way about 11 metres to south of which is a similar smaller archway over an old mill race. Arches are flanked by quadrant piers and have embattled parapets above corbel tables. Main archway is about 20 metres long and smaller archway is about ten 9 metres long. The linking section of bridge has a parapet with a ridged coping. At each end of the bridge, the parapet is splayed, also has a ridged coping and terminates in a square pier with a shallow pyramidal capping. Beneath the linking section of the bridge and north of the main archway is a round-arched flood outlet. The bridge is about 73 metres long in total and about 4.5 metres wide.

The bridge stands on the Downton Castle (qv) estate and may also have been designed by Richard Payne Knight together with Burrington Bridge (qv) and Castle Bridge (qv) upstream. The surveyor of the bridge is recorded as being called Pritchard, possibly Thomas Farnolls Pritchard who designed the Iron Bridge at Coalbrookdale 1775 - 77, and built after his death in 1777.