South Bridge At Water End Over The River Gade

The South Bridge at Water End over the River Gade is a road bridge dating from around 1800, which was built when the road was realigned. It was widened on the eastern side in 1976 by Hertfordshire County Council. The bridge is constructed of red brick in English bond with stone dressings and features a humped design in a medieval style, consisting of three pointed arches, each spanning 20 feet. There are four stone-capped cutwaters that are connected by a moulded string course. Inside the front arch, there is a deep-chamfered brick rib on the soffit. The plinths from which the arches spring are dressed with chamfered stone, and there is a weir under the bridge that marks the water level on the reconstructed upstream face. The brick parapets are capped with moulded stone, splayed at the ends, and are terminated by octagonal brick piers.