Tudor bridge at Hedingham Castle

The Tudor bridge at Hedingham Castle was built in the late 15th century and features an attached retaining wall to the north-west and an attached revetment to the south-east, which is likely from the 18th century.

Constructed primarily of red brick, the bridge includes some modern brick that was added during a restoration in the late 20th century. The bridge connects the castle mound on the east side to the inner bailey on the west side. The retaining wall, which extends from the former tennis court, is on the north side, while the revetment is located at the south-east corner.

The bridge has four spans with four-centred arches that are made up of two chamfered orders and arch rings of brick stretchers. On the south side, there are cutwater piers that rise to the base of the brick parapet. The parapets feature square pilasters on both the inner and outer faces, aligned with the cutwater piers, and they step up as the bridge ascends towards the higher ground of the castle mound. The central pier has a small four-centred arch. Later modifications include the blocking of the east and west spans on the north opening, the addition of square pilasters to the north piers, and coping.

On the north side of the bridge, the retaining wall extends from the pier between the third and fourth arches. It stands 2.9 meters high with a slightly battered plinth. During a site visit in June 2015, it was noted that the wall was being cleared of creepers that had caused some damage to the brickwork.

There is also a short section of brick revetment extending from the south-east corner of the bridge, measuring 5.9 meters long and up to 0.8 meters high, mostly laid in English bond. The lower courses of the middle section consist of headers laid haphazardly, while the southern end appears to have been either rebuilt or extensively repaired, partly using a herringbone bond.