Borough Bridge

Borough Bridge is a bridge over the River Ure, originally built in 1562 and extensively rebuilt and widened in 1785 under the designs of John Carr and Mr Gott. It was repaired in 1969. The bridge is constructed from sandstone ashlar and features three segmental arches, with two pointed cutwaters on the east side and semicircular cutwaters, likely rebuilt, on the west side. There are five wide ribs beneath the outer arches. The parapets have been rebuilt over the cutwaters, which rise as buttresses to support the road surface. The parapets extend beyond the bridge to the north and have square terminals. The bridge spans the boundary between the parishes of Boroughbridge and Langthorpe and also marks the division between the old North and West Ridings. The rebuilding work from 1784 to 1785 was carried out by the two County surveyors: John Carr for the North Riding and Mr Gott for the West. The reconstruction was done in two halves; work began in 1782-84, but the southern section collapsed and had to be rebuilt, likely following Carr's complete design. The road builder Blind Jack Metcalfe of Knaresborough is believed to have been involved in the construction.