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Work to
rebuild a listed bridge at Lindley near Harrogate is under way, with every
stone having to be numbered for accurate reconstruction.
The arched
stone bridge on Cinder Lane crosses the River Washburn in the picturesque
countryside between Harrogate and Otley and is being repaired by a
specialist team from Harrogate-based construction company Houseman and
Falshaw.
Each stone is
being removed, numbered and stored in a secure location while work to make
the bridge good for future generations is carried out.
The original
Lindley Bridge was washed away by a flood in 1767 and rebuilt by Samuel and
John Lister of Bramley and John Robinson of Horsforth the following year.*
The new bridge
had “inconvenient approaches”, according to Otley Museum’s archives, and was
rebuilt in its current form in 1808, with new approaches and a flood arch.
It was painted in watercolour by JMW Turner in 1824-25 as one of a series of
paintings for Walter Fawkes of Farnley Hall.
Houseman and
Falshaw managing director Stuart Falshaw said: “We have worked on a number
of similar projects over the years but each one is unique to its engineer
and you never know what you will find when you begin to dismantle stones
which have been in place for many, many years.
“We are
grateful to Otley Museum which was able to provide us with some details on
the history of the bridge, including a detailed sketch showing the bridge
before the 1767 flood, the bridge rebuilt in 1868 and the 1808 version which
we are now repairing.”
The work is
now around halfway through and is due to be completed in June.
*Source:
Biographical
Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland by AW Skempton.
For further information
please contact Sara Lamper at
Sara
Lamper PR on 01423 701147. |
