Croft Bridge

CROFT BRIDGE

This is a multi-span road bridge over the River Tees, probably dating from the 14th century. The bridge is approximately 160 metres long overall and features splayed end walls.

The downstream face displays six double-chamfered pointed arches, each supported on five chamfered ribs and set beneath hoodmoulds. A smaller round arch appears at the east (Durham) end. The bridge is furnished with triangular-plan cutwaters, and the parapet projects on small shield-shaped brackets, forming semi-octagonal refuges above each cutwater. The parapet slopes slightly downward towards the east end. The splayed end walls terminate in cylindrical end piers with ogee-domed caps. The original medieval masonry on this face is constructed of squared red sandstone.

The upstream face is similar to the downstream face, except that the small east end arch is slightly pointed and each arch has six chamfered ribs instead of five. The cutwaters here feature double-chamfered plinths, and the parapet projects on modillions rather than brackets. The upstream face and extended section were constructed of grey dressed and ashlar sandstone.

A plaque dated 1673 with an illegible inscription appears on the inner face of the parapet above the third arch from the west end, commemorating the restoration of that year. A pink granite plaque on the north-west refuge commemorates Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. The coats of arms of Yorkshire and County Durham are displayed opposite on the upstream parapet, marking the county boundary first defined in 1673.

The bridge was restored in 1673 (as recorded by plaque), then again in 1781 by Thomas Bott, whose name appears on an inscription on the south-east cutwater. In 1795, the bridge was widened by approximately five metres on the upstream side by John Carr, the North Riding's County Surveyor and a leading national architect of his era. Carr's extension was designed in a style consistent with the medieval structure.

The bridge straddles the parishes of Hurworth and Croft.

The structure has a long history of maintenance and repair. In 1356, the bridge was described as being in a dangerous state due to severe river flooding, and a Grant of Pontage was issued to fund repairs. The bridge is believed to have been substantially rebuilt in the 15th century. Between 1562 and 1580, £184 was spent on repairs. By 1616 it was described as ruinous and decayed, and by 1631 as a great ruin. During the Commonwealth period in the 1650s, the North Riding Quarter Sessions recorded further repair expenditure: £60 in 1651, £150 in 1657, and £66 13s 4d in 1658. The bridge withstood the great flood of February 1753, though the turnpike house and £50 in tolls were swept away. In 1822, the carriageway was excavated and relaid according to McAdam's principles of road building. Tolls formally ceased in 1879.

The bridge serves as the location of a ceremonial tradition whereby the Conyers Falchion, a sword normally housed in Durham Cathedral's treasury, is presented to each new Bishop of Durham upon first entering the diocese.