Grand Bridge

Grand Bridge is a Grade I listed bridge built between 1706 and 1712 by Sir John Vanburgh. Constructed from limestone ashlar, it features a semi-circular archway with blocked voussoirs, flanked by two-storey square projecting bays. Each bay has a segmental-arched opening with a keystone that connects to a bracketed cornice and has a bracketed sill above a niche. The outer bays are adorned with rusticated semi-circular arches and bands of frosted rustication beneath the parapet. The canted abutments are detailed with rusticated quoin strips.

The bridge was left unfinished when work on the palace ceased in 1712; Vanburgh had planned for the central span to be topped with tall arcades within corner towers, resembling Palladio's Rialto Bridge. Originally designed as a habitable viaduct, the bridge spanned marshland before Capability Brown created the lake. It contains over 30 rooms, some featuring chimneypieces and dish vaulting. The masons responsible for its construction were Peisley and Townesend.