Framwellgate Bridge is a mediaeval masonry arch bridge across the River Wear

River Wear

The River Wear is located in North East England, rising in the Pennines and flowing eastwards, mostly through County Durham, to the North Sea at Sunderland.-Geology and history:...

, in Durham

Durham

Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It is a Grade I listed building. The bridge was constructed in the early twelfth century (around 1120) on the orders of Bishop Ranulf Flambard

Ranulf Flambard

Ranulf Flambard was a medieval Norman Bishop of Durham and an influential government minister of King William Rufus of England...

.

Like Elvet Bridge

Elvet Bridge

Elvet Bridge is a mediaeval masonry arch bridge across the River Wear, in the city of Durham, in County Durham, in England. It links the peninsula in central Durham to the Elvet area of the city, and is a Grade I listed building.-History:...

, Framwellgate Bridge had to be repaired in the early 15th century due to flood damage, and for a time the crossing point was maintained by a ferry boat. The bridge that has stood to the present day was built on the orders of Bishop Thomas Langley

Thomas Langley

Thomas Langley was an English prelate who held high ecclesiastical and political offices in the early to mid 1400s. He was Dean of York, Bishop of Durham, twice Lord Chancellor of England to three kings, and a Pseudocardinal. In turn Keeper of the King's signet and Keeper of the Privy Seal before...

 and widened in the early 19th century. Some sources indicate that both ends of bridge were fortified by towers and gates, though others infer only a single gatehouse was built on the peninsula side of the river. In any case, the defensive structures were demolished in 1760. The bridge has several spans, the longest of which is 6-10m long. In the 14th Century, the bridge was the scene of the murder of Bishop's Steward Richard Fitzmarmaduke by his cousin Ralph Neville

Ralph Neville

Ralph Neville was a medieval clergyman and politician who served as Bishop of Chichester, Keeper of the Great Seal and Lord Chancellor of England...

 (the 'Peacock of the North').

Until the construction of Millburngate Bridge in 1969, the bridge was the main traffic route from the west through the centre of Durham. Today the bridge is mainly pedestrianised, and only occasional service vehicles may use the bridge.