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Summary

A notable 15th century road bridge over the River Tamar.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (I) 1104822: GREYSTONE BRIDGE

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX38SE9
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX38SE/17
• Old Listed Building Ref (I)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ROAD BRIDGE (Built, XV - 1401 AD to 1500 AD)

Full description

Unknown, Historic Image of Workers at Greystone Bridge, Bradstone (Ground Photograph). SDV361937.

Henderson, C. + Coates, H., 1928, Old Cornish Bridges and Streams (Article in Serial). SDV172985.

Gover, J. E. B. + Mawer, A. + Stenton, F. M., 1931, The Place-Names of Devon: Part One, 173 (Monograph). SDV1312.

Greystone Bridge is referred to as 'Greystone Brygge next Tamer' in 1438. It takes its name from Greystone in Cornwall, which is recorded as 'Greyston' in 1333.

Alexander, J. J., 1937, Tavistock in the 15th century, 265 (Article in Serial). SDV322349.

The Abbot of Tavistock, Thomas Mede, gave generous contributions towards building costs in the early 15th century.

Henderson, C. + Jervoise, E., 1938, Old Devon Bridges (Monograph). SDV2296.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1949-1985, SX38SE9 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV263463.

Greystone Bridge dates from 1473; probably built by one of the Abbots of Tavistock. It is 225 feet long, of five spans with semi circular arches in rubble and ashlar. Greystone Bridge is described as above, in a good state of preservation. (Site visit 1954)

Hoskins, W. G., 1954, A New Survey of England: Devon, 343 (Monograph). SDV17562.

Greystone Bridge is described by Hoskins as a 'fine medieval bridge'. It is documented in 1438 and 1478.

Department of Environment, 1960, Tavistock RD, 3 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV239444.

Greystone Bridge. A notable 15th century structure in rubble and ashlar, with cutwaters on both sides. Eight spans and segmental arches.

Thomas, D. L. B., 1980, The Bridges of Devon, 133, 138 (Article in Monograph). SDV263456.

Department of Environment, 1985, Bradstone, 4 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV337775.

Greystone Bridge. Road bridge over River Tamar. Dated 1439. Snecked slate-stone and ashlar with freestone dressings to four of the eight arches. Stone rubble parapets and moulded granite strings and copings. Approaches to the bridge were formerly considerably steeper and were altered for the stage coach between Tavistock and Launceston. See DoE list for full details.

Griffith, F., 1988, Devon's Past. An Aerial View, 86 (Monograph). SDV64198.

Greystone Bridge is one of the very few medieval bridges still surviving in Devon today, and one of three built to cross the Tamar in the Middle Ages. Its excellent condition testifies to the quality of its original construction, the arches and underwork being of freestone, the walls of rubble and the coping of moorstone. The proposal to build the bridge is recorded in Bishop Lacy's register dated 27th December 1439, where an indulgence of forty days is granted to all penitents contributing toward its construction. The name of the bridge is not in fact a reference to its construction, even though it is made of grey stone. The Cornish Manor of Greyston is recorded in documents more than a hundred years before the bridge was built, and it was from this that it took its name.

Cherry, B. + Pevsner, N., 1989, The Buildings of England: Devon, 202 (Monograph). SDV325629.

Greystone Bridge. Eight spans, cutwaters. Partly paid for by Thomas Mede, Abbot of Tavistock in 1439.

Jewell, T., 1996, Bridging the Tamar, 29 (Undergraduate Dissertation). SDV218518.

Swete, J. (ed. Gray T. + Rowe, M.), 1997, Travels in Georgian Devon. The Illustrated Journals of the Reverend John Swete. Vol. 1, 129, 130 (Monograph). SDV341166.

Revd Swete described and illustrates the bridge in his journals in 1793. He refers to it as 'a noble Bridge called Greston' and describes it as having four larger and four smaller arches.

Dyer, M. J. + Manning, P. T., 1998, Objective 5B: Lower Tamar Valley Recreation and Land Management Iinitiative: Cultural Heritage Appraisal, 4 (Report - non-specific). SDV319814.

First recorded as Greyston Brygge in 1438. Freestone arches and underwork: slatestone rubble walls and parapets with granite copings and some additional granite dressings. Four main arches with 4 flood arches with 4 main cutwaters and one small one on the east side all rising to form triangular refuges in the parapets. Described and illustrated by Swete in 1793 as 'a noble bridge called Greston.'

Gerrard, S., 2001, Greystone Bridge (Personal Comment). SDV263468.

The bridge was scheduled in March 1999 as DV1036.

Ordnance Survey, 2017, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359962.

Historic England, 2017, National Heritage List for England, 1104822 (National Heritage List for England). SDV359963.

Greystone Bridge. Road bridge over River Tamar. 1439 with later repairs. Thomas Mede, Abbot of Tavistock gave generous contributions towards building costs. (Alexander). 27 December, 1439 Bishop Lacy granted an indulgence of forty days to all penitents contributing towards erection of bridge. Roughly coursed snecked slatestone and ashlar with freestone dressings to four of the eight arches. Stone rubble parapets and moulded granite strings and copings. Five, almost semi-circular arches of 7 metres span springing from imposts 3 metres above the water level. Four of these arches have freestone dressings with arch rings. The fifth to the west has a possibly C18 dressed stone arch. Between the five arches, on both sides, are cutwaters which continue up to form refuges, corbelling out at the base of the parapet above the chamfered granite moulded string. This string is mitred at the corners where it changes level. To the west, a four-centred dressed stone arch over the flood plain. Two similar arches on the east with a small cutwater between, continued up to form a refuge. The arches over the flood plain have possibly been rebuilt. The moulded string above looses its mitred corners where it changes level. Henderson in 1928 only described two flood arches. The roadway, formerly paved, over the bridge is 3 metres wide. The parapets are splayed on the east and west. Approaches to the bridge were formerly considerably steeper and were altered for the stage coach between Tavistock and Launceston. Compare with Horse Bridge to south, 1437, probably the same architect. The estate of the Abbots of Tavistock, Endsleigh, extended down to the river between Greystone Bridge and Horse Bridge.
Date first listed: 21st March 1967
The asset was previously listed twice also at List entry 1219394. That entry was removed from the List on 17 August 2016.

Ancient Monuments, Undated, Greystone Bridge. Cornwall County Number 69, 69 (Schedule Document). SDV263462.

Greystone Bridge was formerly scheduled as Cornwall County No. 69. It was descheduled in July 2002 under SM91321.
The form gives the following description.
The finest Cornish bridge, superbly situated. Built 1439. Four large arches span 22 feet. Two smaller ones at each end. Roadway 11 feet wide. This bridge is perfect, an extrememly beautiful piece of architecture.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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