Severn Bridge including Flanking Arches and Balustrade

Bridge of 1797-1799 by Thomas Telford, constructed by J Simpson.

MATERIALS: constructed of ashlar White Hollington sandstone and Pennant Green/ Grey sandstone, and cast iron. The balustrades on the bridge are of stone; those to the embankments are of cast iron.

DESCRIPTION: comprising three arches over the river with flanking arches and balustrades. The two towpath arches on the south bank have retaining walls and balustrades to Load Street and Severn Side South. The two towpath arches to the north bank extend to 12 further barrel-vaulted arches supporting the elevated Stourport Road above, and extend about 50 metres to the south-east.

Each front to the bridge has three segmental arches with rusticated extradoses and triangular cutwaters with pyramidal caps. Above the caps the broad pilasters rise to a moulded cornice below the balustrade, which has bulbous stone balusters. The central pedimented tablet on the balustrade bears the arms of Bewdley.

The Stourport Road elevated ramp comprises ashlar blocks with rusticated arches and a string course to each face, and with piers rising above the coped parapet to form the balustrade with cast-iron balusters and handrails. The arches have cast-iron gates to the riverside. On the north side of the road is an interval in the balustrade with steps down to a footpath with ashlar return walls topped with iron railings and terminating in piers with moulded caps. At the north end, the road curves onto the bridge deck and the road wall on the north side ramps down to another footpath and pedestrian entrance to the open land to the north. The balustrade on the south side of the road has an inserted entrance to the riverside with replaced stone piers and further south the balustrade curves towards the river to form a return wall next to a set of stone steps to the North Quay that are separately listed at Grade II.

On the south side of the bridge parapet wall spays around the corner into Severn Side South and slopes down to the south-east. The river-facing retaining wall to the road comprises coursed ashlar with rusticated arches and stone pilasters rising to form piers to the cast-iron balustrade above. The wall has a projecting string course and stone parapet above. The Load Street wall is of the same design and has pedestrian steps down to Severn Side North with a cast-iron balustrade of slender stick balusters and handrail. Below the southern towpath arch the surface is cobbled.