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Barton Bridge

Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire

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Barton Bridge, Bradford on Avon, downstream side

Barton Bridge is a medieval crossing of the River Avon at Barton Farm, Bradford on Avon. It was probably built in around 1340, at about the same time as the the Great Barn or “Tithe Barn” at the farm, in order to connect the farm with Shaftesbury Abbey’s property on the other side of the river.

The upstream side with three v-shaped cut-waters to protect it from the current

A by-pass channel was provided, probably in the early part of the 19th century, to relieve the bridge from flood water. This created an island and the bridge was reached by a ford, with a narrow causeway and footbridge at its side. The railings were provided in restoration work in 1867-71; the bridge was restored again in the 1960s and in 2003.

Barton Bridge is not a packhorse bridge, as it is sometimes called, perhaps because it sounds quaint or picturesque. It is wide and strong enough for carts, waggons and even modern tractors, whereas a packhorse bridge will only take pack animals in single file; an example of a real packhorse bridge can be seen nearby at Monkton, Broughton Gifford.