2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Ellis Whitehouse)
Essex is steeped in history, with transport networks being some of the oldest aspects of the county which date back centuries. In Chelmsford, one of the most key pieces of architecture for the city is Stone Bridge, which links the High Street to Moulsham Street. Situated over the River Can, the bridge was constructed and opened in 1788, with the use of more than 240 tonnes of stone to bring it to life, and keep it that way ever since.
It has not been without trials, with flood risks threatening to sweep it away completely, but it remains standing firm, bridging both these key streets in the heart of the city. While this bridge is centuries old, the origins of the crossing of the river date back considerably further - all the way back to the Roman Empire. According to records from Chelmsford City Council, There is no evidence that the Romans bridged the River Can during their occupation of Britain between the years 43 and 410 AD, although it is "very likely".
Read more: TOWIE's Georgia Kousoulou gives birth and shares unusual name of baby girl Read more: Man found seriously injured as armed police lock down quiet Essex street Caesaromagus, as Chelmsford was named in those times, had an important geographical position halfway along the route between London and Colchester. It was endowed with an official rest house for members of the Imperial Post. After the departure of the Imperial Roman Army and the breakdown of the disciplined government, Chelmsford was abandoned and the bridge at that time would have collapsed.
Around the year 1100 AD, Maurice, Bishop of London and Lord of the Manor of Chelmsford, built a wooden bridge which reinstated the town's importance. This led to it becoming the "County Town" with a market and a fair, and the place of meeting of the Justices. By 1351, the bridge was reported to the Justices as "broken".
Under the direction of Henry Yorke, Master Mason of the Kings Works, a stone bridge of three arches was built, with the centre arch much higher than the outer ones. This bridge survived for over 400 years. In the late 18th century, the Court of Quarter Sessions, which was responsible for the bridge, decided that it needed to be replaced.
this was due to its state of disrepair and the heavy traffic demands on it. In October 1784, John Johnson, County Surveyor from 1782 to 1812 was commissioned to design and build a new structure. He was also later responsible for building Shire Hall and rebuilding the nave of the Parish Church (now the Cathedral).
The first stone was laid on October 4, 1785, with traffic using a temporary bridge on the east side. 240 tonnes of stone was transferred by sea from Dorset to Maldon and then by cart through Danbury before reaching Chelmsford. Despite the date of 1787 on the keystone, the new stone bridge was opened on January 14, 1788.
The bridge was widened from the previously proposed 6m (20ft) to 10.4m (34ft), with a walkway on each side. Stone Bridge has been known as Moulsham Bridge and Great Bridge in the past.
A succession of heavy floods in the first quarter of the 19th century caused problems; in 1824 Thomas Telford was called in but fortunately his suggestion of replacing the stone bridge with one of cast iron was not accepted. By the middle of the 20th century, substantial repairs were required. During construction of a flood relief scheme in 1963-64, the bridge was underpinned and the stonework repaired.
At this time, the foundations of the medieval bridge were exposed and a Coade stone baluster, known through records to have been lost and replaced in 1857, was recovered and is held by the Chelmsford Museum. In 1988 the bridge was cleaned to celebrate the Centenary of the Borough Council, which has always depicted the 1372 bridge on its coat of arms. The bridge remains today as an "elegant landmark" and a symbol of the pride and prosperity of the town, now designated a city.
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