List Entry Summary
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Name: Redford Bridge
List Entry Number: 1304408
Location
Castle Street, Christchurch, Dorset
The building may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
County:
District: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
District Type: Unitary Authority
Parish: Christchurch
National Park: Not applicable to this List entry.
Grade: I
Date first listed: 14-Oct-1953
Date of most recent amendment: 03-Jul-2015
Legacy System Information
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System: LBS
UID: 101454
Asset Groupings
This List entry does not comprise part of an Asset Grouping. Asset Groupings are not part of the official record but are added later for information.
List Entry Description
Summary of Building
Road bridge over a mill stream, probably C15 or C16, widened in 1837, and repaired in 1902.
Reasons for Designation
Redford Bridge, a multi-span bridge of the C15 or C16 which was widened in 1837, is listed at Grade I for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: as an important example of a medieval road bridge that is neatly made, using good-quality materials;
* Historic interest: it illustrates medieval bridge building techniques, while the mid-C19 widening provides evidence for the continuing importance of this route into Christchurch;
* Group value: with a high number of listed buildings including the adjacent Town Bridge (Grade I), Nos. 20 and 22 Castle Street (both Grade II), and the remains of the Augustinian priory and castle (scheduled monument) and the constable’s house (Grade I) to the south.
History
Multi-span bridges are structures of two or more arches supported on piers. They were constructed throughout the medieval period for the use of pedestrians and packhorse or vehicular traffic, crossing rivers or streams, often replacing or supplementing earlier fords. During the early medieval period timber was used, but from the C12 stone (and later brick) bridges became more common, with the piers sometimes supported by a timber raft. Most stone or brick bridges were constructed with pointed arches, although semicircular and segmental examples are also known. A common medieval feature is the presence of stone ashlar ribs underneath the arch. The bridge abutments and revetting of the river banks also form part of the bridge. Where medieval bridges have been altered in later centuries, original features are sometimes concealed behind later stonework, including remains of earlier timber bridges. The roadway was often originally cobbled or gravelled.
As with most medieval bridges, the original date of construction for Redford Bridge (also known as Mews or Millhams Bridge) in Christchurch is not known. It is situated on what was the principal eastern route into the town during the medieval period and was probably constructed in the C15 or C16 at the same time as the adjacent Town Bridge (Grade I). Redford Bridge crosses a former millstream, and a bridge is depicted in this location on Ogilby’s map of 1675 and on Mew’s estate map of c.1715. Works have been carried out on the bridge over the centuries, including widening to its north side in 1837 and repairs in 1902.
Details
Road bridge over a mill stream, probably C15 or C16, widened in 1837, and repaired in 1902.
DESCRIPTION: a limestone ashlar bridge over a former mill stream. It has two round-headed arches, with a single triangular-shaped cutwater to each side, and parapets above.
Selected Sources
WebsitesListed Buildings in Christchurch, accessed 10 April 2015 from
http://www.royhodges.co.uk/Listed%20Buildings%20in%20Christchurch.pdfOtherChristchurch Central, Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan, September 2005
Map
National Grid Reference: SZ1603892734
The below map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. For a copy of the full scale map, please see the attached PDF - 1304408.pdf - Please be aware that it may take a few minutes for the download to complete.
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This copy shows the entry on 29-Mar-2024 at 10:36:31.