Carries pedestrians Material stone Construction end 1390 Piers in water 0 | Design three-way arch bridge Location Crowland Heritage status Listed building | |
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Crosses formerly the River Welland and a tributary Locale Crowland, Lincolnshire, England No. of spans depends how you count them Bridge type Arch bridge, Deck arch bridge Similar Crowland Abbey, Three‑way bridge, Ayscoughfee Hall, Guildhall and Stonebo, Y‑Bridge | ||
Trinity Bridge is a unique three-way stone arch bridge that stands at the heart of Crowland, Lincolnshire, England. While it once spanned the confluence of the River Welland and a tributary, the rivers have been re-routed and it now spans nothing significant.
History
The current bridge dates to the 14th century (built between 1360 and 1390) and replaced previous wooden bridges. The earliest known mention of the bridge is by King Æthelbald of Mercia in 716. In 943 it was mentioned in a charter of Eadred. The bridge is now a scheduled monument and Grade I listed.
The bridge is predominantly built from Barnack stone, which was quarried about 16 km to the west of Crowland, and presumably transported by boat on the Welland.
This bridge has three stairways that converge at the top. Originally it spanned the River Welland and a tributary that flowed through the town, although the rivers have been re-routed and no longer flow anywhere near the bridge. The bridge was an unusual and economical solution to the crossing of two watercourses at their confluence, reducing the need for three separate bridges to a single structure with three abutments.
Dry Bridge in Zrenjanin, Serbia, is another example of a bridge no longer crossing water, but it is far larger.