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Summary

Prior to the 1997 rebuilding, the bridge over the River Foss, built in 1829, replaced an earlier 17th century bridge. It consisted of a single arch covered by later concrete additions.

Monument Type(s)

• ROAD BRIDGE (1309, Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• ROAD BRIDGE (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1500 AD to 1600 AD)
• ROAD BRIDGE (Destroyed 1644-1645, Mid 17th Century - 1644 AD to 1645 AD)
• ROAD BRIDGE (Repaired 1656, Mid 17th Century - 1656 AD to 1656 AD)
• ROAD BRIDGE (Alterations by Foss Navigation Company, Late 18th Century to Early 19th Century - 1793 AD to 1829 AD)
• ROAD BRIDGE (Rebuilt 1829, Early 19th Century to 20th Century - 1829 AD to 1926 AD)
• ROAD BRIDGE (Alterations 1926, 20th Century - 1926 AD to 1926 AD)
• ROAD BRIDGE (Rebuilt 1997, 20th Century to Modern - 1997 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

There was a bridge over the river Foss here in 1309 and one was broken down by the defenders of the city in the siege of 1644 and restored twelve years later (VCH, York, 519). The present bridge was constructed in 1829 by H. Craven & Sons to a design by Peter Atkinson junior (YCA, B.50, 68, 134; K.64; and M.17a), the rebuilding necessitating the removal of Layerthorpe Postern. The single arch, spanning 35 ft., is now only visible from underneath, between later concrete additions.

'Miscellaneous Secular Buildings', in An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in City of York, Volume 4, Outside the City Walls East of the Ouse (London, 1975), pp. 44-54. Monument 17.

Reference to 'Leirfordbrigende' in 1341 suggests that the bridge was preceded by a ford, but the bridge existed by 1309 at the latest. It had three arches in Leland's time.In 1556 £14 14s. 3½d. was spent on the bridge, which was repaired again in 1570. Having been destroyed during the siege of 1644, the bridge was replaced by a temporary crossing of planks and rails in April 1646, and it was not substantially repaired until 1656 when the middle arch was rebuilt. After the passing of the Act of 1793, the Foss Navigation Company constructed a new central arch, and the responsibility for the disrepair of the bridge was in dispute between the corporation and the company in 1815 and again in 1828. In February 1829 it was reported that the Foss Navigation Company's enlargement of the central arch had so damaged the structure that a complete rebuilding was desirable; this was carried out by the corporation in 1829, the new bridge being designed by Peter Atkinson the younger. It was a wider structure than the previous bridge and its erection involved the removal of Layerthorpe Postern which had stood at the southwest end of the bridge. The bridge was widened in 1926 and has not been altered since.

'City walls, bars, posterns and bridges', in A History of the County of York: the City of York, ed. P M Tillott (London, 1961), pp. 510-520.


NMR Information

613515 Architectural Survey Investigation by RCHME/EH Architectural Survey

BF060298 LAYERTHORPE BRIDGE, YORK File of material relating to a site or building. This material has not yet been fully catalogued.

Victoria County History, 1961, A History of the County of York: the City of York (Bibliographic reference). SYO1174.

RCHME, 1975, RCHME Volume 4, Outside the City Walls East of the Ouse (Monograph). SYO2424.

NMR, 2019, NMR data (Digital archive). SYO2214.

Sources and further reading

Related records

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