Barton Bridge

Former packhorse bridge. C14, with attached mid-C19 footbridge.

MATERIALS: built of roughly coursed, dressed stone.

DESCRIPTION: the former packhorse bridge, approximately 85m to the north-west of Barton Farmhouse (Grade I), spans the River Avon to a small island before dividing to form a ramped roadway and a narrower mid-C19 footbridge over the side stream. The packhorse bridge comprises four pointed arches, with recessed pointed arches beneath. The three, triangular cut-waters on the upstream side of the bridge have pyramidal weather cappings. To either side of the north-west end of the bridge are stone buttresses. There are no signs of an earlier parapet but the tall kerb stones (partly buried under later resurfacing of a formerly cobbled road surface) mark the edge of the roadway. These are surmounted with tubular iron railings which continue to the south-east end where the bridge continues over the island with 25m of stone walling to its upstream side. The attached footbridge spans the side stream of the river and comprises two large stone slabs supported on a rectangular stone pier which has been chamfered on its upstream side.