Trinity Bridge (Crowland)
Encyclopedia
Trinity Bridge is the unique triangular bridge that stands at the heart of the English
town of Crowland
, Lincolnshire
.
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 now the rivers have been re-routed and no longer flow anywhere near the bridge. The bridge is 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.
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 the 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.
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...
town of Crowland
Crowland
Crowland or Croyland is a small town in south Lincolnshire, England, positioned between Peterborough and Spalding, with two sites of historical interest.-Geography:...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
.
This bridge has three stairways that converge at the top. Originally it spanned the River Welland
River Welland
The River Welland is a river in the east of England, some long. It rises in the Hothorpe Hills, at Sibbertoft in Northamptonshire, then flows generally northeast to Market Harborough, Stamford and Spalding, to reach The Wash near Fosdyke. For much of its length it forms the county boundary between...
and a tributary that flowed through the town, although now the rivers have been re-routed and no longer flow anywhere near the bridge. The bridge is 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.
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
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
in 716. in 943 it was mentioned in the 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.