Bridge Carrying North Road Over River Beane At Ngr Tl 3141 1349

The bridge carrying North Road over the River Beane was built in 1869 and is one of a series constructed by Robert Smith, the owner of Goldings. In the late 1980s, it was reconstructed and strengthened by the Hertfordshire County Surveyor. The lower girders were replaced with reinforced concrete beams, and a moulded cast-iron cover plate was added above. The bridge features pierced balustrade panels with a pattern of three circles, with three triangles above and below, a moulded top rail, and barley-sugar twist columns topped with pyramidal caps. The abutments are made of yellow brick with stone bands and red recessed panels, while the piers have roll moulded stone caps with low pyramidal tops. The approaches are marked by curved brick parapet walls with stone copings.

Historically, Robert Smith inherited the Goldings estate in 1861, where he demolished the old mansion, diverted and reconstructed the nearby Watton Turnpike, and built several bridges in 1869 to carry the road and the drive to Goldings over the Goldings Canal and the mill race of the River Beane.