Farndon Bridge
Farndon Bridge Pont Rhedynfre / Pont Holt | |
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![]() Farndon Bridge | |
Coordinates | 53°05′00″N 2°52′47″W / 53.083373°N 2.879820°W |
Crosses | River Dee |
Locale | Farndon, Cheshire, England and Holt, Wrexham, Wales |
Other name(s) | Holt Bridge Farndon/Holt Bridge Holt-Farndon Bridge |
Heritage status | Grade I listed |
Characteristics | |
Design | Arch bridge |
History | |
Opened | 1339 |
Statistics | |
Toll | None (Abolished 1866) |
Location | |
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Farndon Bridge or Holt Bridge (also known as the Farndon/Holt or Holt–Farndon Bridge)[1][2] (Welsh: Pont Rhedynfre or Pont Holt), crosses the River Dee and the England-Wales border between the villages of Farndon, Cheshire, England and Holt, Wrexham, Wales (grid reference SJ412544). The bridge, which was built in the mid-14th century, is recorded in the National Heritage List for England and by Cadw as a designated Grade I listed building[3] and scheduled monument.[4][2][1] It is built from locally quarried red sandstone and had eight arches, of which five are over the river. On the Farndon side there is one flood arch and two flood arches are on the Holt side.[3]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f7/Pont_Rhedynfre_-_Holt_or_Farndon_Bridge%2C_Holt%2C_Wrexham%2C_Wales_16.jpg/220px-Pont_Rhedynfre_-_Holt_or_Farndon_Bridge%2C_Holt%2C_Wrexham%2C_Wales_16.jpg)
Documentary evidence states the bridge was built in 1339 by St Werburgh's Abbey in Chester. Originally it had ten arches, with a large gate tower on the fifth arch from the English side. The tower was demolished to road level in 1770 and at some time two of the arches on the Welsh side were lost.[5] The area is reputedly haunted by two sons of a Welsh prince who were drowned in the river at this point by their English guardians, John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey and Roger Mortimer de Chirk.[6]
During the English Civil war, a brief skirmish occurred near the bridge in 1643 when Parliamentarian forces advanced towards the Royalists holding Holt on the western side of the river.[7]
John Warwick Smith (26 July 1749 – 22 March 1831), a British watercolour landscape painter and illustrator, produced a painting of the bridge and the landscape around, which has been reproduced since for use on postcards.
Access is controlled by traffic lights, permitting road traffic to cross using the single-lane carriageway. Two narrow footpaths on either side of the road are provided for pedestrians. However, due to the bridge's age, it is closed intermittently for surveys to be conducted on its structure. In the early 1990s the bridge was restored and renovated and at the same time an archaeological survey was carried out.[8] In the summer of 2018 the bridge was closed for significant structural repairs.[9]
See also[]
- Grade I listed buildings in Cheshire West and Chester
- Grade I listed buildings in Wrexham
- Listed buildings in Farndon, Cheshire
References[]
- ^ a b "Holt Bridge;farndon Bridge, Holt, Wrexham (24043)", Coflein, RCAHMW, retrieved 29 September 2021
- ^ a b Historic England, "Farndon Bridge (1006758)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 29 September 2021
- ^ a b Historic England. "Farndon Bridge (1279428)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
- ^ Pastscape: Farndon Bridge, English Heritage, archived from the original on 15 July 2012, retrieved 29 March 2008
- ^ Ward, S. S, "A Survey of Holt-Farndon Medieval Bridge", Cheshire Past, Chester Archaeological Service, pp. 14–15, retrieved 29 March 2008
- ^ Holland, Richard (30 July 2009). "BBC – North East Wales – Wrexham's Bridge of Screams". BBC. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ "CHESHIRE HISTORIC TOWNS SURVEY: Farndon Archaeological Assessment" (PDF). /www.cheshirearchaeology.org.uk. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
An account of the Battle of Farndon Bridge, a Civil War skirmish that took place in 1643, states that the Parliamentary side ‘...advanced that night to Farne, which is a little towne on the Cheshire side – over against the Holt in Wales where the enemy kept a garrison’ (Latham ed. 1981, 27). The east window of St Chad’s Church contains 17th century glass depicting Royalist figures (CSMR 1791/1/1). "
- ^ Royden, Mike. "Farndon-Holt Bridge". Farndon Local History. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- ^ Holmes, David (22 May 2018). "Farndon Bridge to close for major repair work". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
Coordinates: 53°05′00″N 2°52′47″W / 53.083373°N 2.879820°W
- Arch bridges in the United Kingdom
- Grade I listed bridges in Wales
- Bridges in Cheshire
- Grade I listed buildings in Cheshire
- Buildings and structures completed in 1339
- Bridges in Wrexham County Borough
- Scheduled monuments in Cheshire
- Stone bridges in England
- Grade I listed buildings in Wrexham County Borough
- Pedestrian bridges in Wales
- Bridges across the River Dee, Wales
- Bridges completed in the 14th century