Aveton Gifford Bridges And Causeway

Aveton Gifford bridges and causeway are located on the A379 in Aveton Gifford, with additional relevance to the Churchstow civil parish. These structures consist of two bridges over the River Avon and a mill leat. They contain some late medieval elements but were widened and extended in the early 19th century. The bridges are constructed of rubble.

At the north end, over the former mill leat, there are two segmental arches with flush voussoirs and triangular cutwaters. A nearly horizontal squared parapet runs down to Bridge House on the west side and continues from the turning to Marsh Mill towards the south. At the south end, there is a six-arch bridge, with one arch mostly absorbed in a later embankment. This bridge also features flush voussoirs and triangular cutwaters, with continuous parapet walls on the east side linking to the parapet of the north bridge and extending to the garage forecourt on the west side. The parapet wall includes a series of vertical through stones arranged in regular bays, a characteristic feature of bridges in the area. The ford is believed to have been first bridged around 1440, with a significant widening of approximately 2 meters occurring on the upstream side. This crossing remains important and is heavily used.