Devils Backbone Bridge or Old Bridge is a Grade II listed building in the South Hams local planning authority area, England. First listed on 11 November 1952. Bridge.

Devils Backbone Bridge or Old Bridge

WRENN ID
tattered-nave-plover
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
South Hams
Constituency
South Devon MP: Caroline Voaden (LD)
Country
England
Date first listed
11 November 1952
Type
Bridge
Address
Devils Backbone Bridge or Old Bridge, North Huish
OS grid reference
SX 712 584
Coordinates
50.41163, -3.81299
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

Devil's Backbone Bridge, also known as Old Bridge, is a road bridge over the River Avon, originally designed as a packhorse bridge. It likely dates from the 17th century and was widened, probably in the 18th century or early 19th century. The bridge is constructed of stone rubble with dressed stone arch rings, featuring a large single round arch with a span of about 8 meters. Initially, it was about 2 meters wide overall and possibly did not have parapets. During the widening in the 18th or early 19th century, the bridge was expanded by about 1 meter on the upstream west side, and parapets were added on both sides.

On the downstream east side, the original arch is visible, showing unchamfered double arch rings, with the later parapet corbelled out on large rough slates; the coping of the parapet on this side is made of stone rubble. On the upstream west side, the arch ring is single and also unchamfered, with granite coping on the parapet. The abutments at either end of the bridge splay out and are built on the exposed slate bedrock of the river banks. Additionally, there is a 20th-century buttress on the east side of the north abutment.

Local climate

Devils Backbone Bridge or Old Bridge receives an average of 890 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 66% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 87% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 10 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 91% of listed buildings. Of these, 4 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

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