Greystone Bridge

BRADSTONE part in LEZANT SX 38 SE 5/6

Greystone Bridge

21.3.67

I

Road bridge over River Tamar. 1439 with later repairs. Thomas Mede, Abbot of Tavistock gave generous contributions towards building costs. (Alexander). 27 December, 1439 Bishop Lacy granted an indulgence of forty days to all penitents contributing towards erection of bridge. Roughly coursed snecked slatestone and ashlar with freestone dressings to four of the eight arches. Stone rubble parapets and moulded granite strings and copings. Five, almost semi-circular arches of 7 metres span springing from imposts 3 metres above the water level. Four of these arches have freestone dressings with arch rings. The fifth to the west has a possibly C18 dressed stone arch. Between the five arches, on both sides, are cutwaters which continue up to form refuges, corbelling out at the base of the parapet above the chamfered granite moulded string. This string is mitred at the corners where it changes level. To the west, a four-centred dressed stone arch over the flood plain. Two similar arches on the east with a small cutwater between, continued up to form a refuge. The arches over the flood plain have possibly been rebuilt. The moulded string above looses its mitred corners where it changes level. Henderson in 1928 only described two flood arches. The roadway, formerly paved, over the bridge is 3 metres wide. The parapets are splayed on the east and west. Approaches to the bridge were formerly considerably steeper and were altered for the stage coach between Tavistock and Launceston. Compare with Horse Bridge to south, 1437, probably the same architect. The estate of the Abbots of Tavistock, Endsleigh, extended down to the river between Greystone Bridge and Horse Bridge.

The asset was previously listed twice also at List entry 1219394. That entry was removed from the List on 17 August 2016.

This entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 17 August 2016.