Tudor bridge at Hedingham Castle

Bridge built in the late C15, attached retaining wall to north-west, and attached revetment to south-east of probable C18 date.

MATERIALS: red brick including some modern brick introduced during the late C20 restoration.

PLAN: the bridge links the castle mound on the east side to the inner bailey on the west side. The retaining wall from the former tennis court extends from the north side and the revetment extends from the south-east corner.

EXTERIOR: the four-span bridge has four-centred arches of two chamfered orders with arch rings of brick stretchers. There are cutwater piers on the south side that extend up to the base of the brick parapet. The parapets have square pilasters on the inner and outer faces, aligned with the cutwater piers, and are stepped as the bridge ascends the higher ground westwards to the castle mound. The central pier is pierced by a small four-centred arch. Later work to the bridge includes the blocking of the east and west spans on the north opening, the addition of square pilasters to the north piers, and coping.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: on the north side of the bride, the retaining wall extends from the pier between the third and fourth arches. It is 2.9m high with a slightly battered plinth. During the recent site visit (June 2015), the wall was being cleared of creepers which had caused some damage to the brickwork.

Extending from the south-east corner of the bridge is a short section of brick revetment, 5.9m long and up to 0.8m high, mostly laid in English bond. The lower courses of the middle section consist of headers laid haphazardly. The southern end has been either rebuilt or extensively repaired, and is partly laid in a herringbone bond.