Tag Archives: Bridges

From Brycgstowe to Bristol

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From Brycgstowe to Bristol

Brycgstowe, Brigstow, Bricgstoc – It doesn’t matter how it was spelt, to the Saxons it meant the same thing – ‘Place by the bridge’.

The tendency for Bristolians to add the letter ‘L’ onto the end of words is no doubt the reason for today’s spelling, but why did they build a bridge here?

The answer is not just because it was the lowest convenient crossing point of the River Avon, but also because it was an ideal trading location.

Situated six miles upstream from the mouth of the river where it meets the Severn meant that it had both good protection and good access.

The River Severn has the second (or third) highest tidal range in the world, and you don’t have to witness the Severn Bore to see how fast the river can ebb and flow. This tidal range also affects the Avon, and for ships sailing up and down the river this was good news – or at least it was back then (see my post on the Floating Harbour for how things changed).

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Originally posted 2019-08-27 11:07:11.

Wandering Around East Looe

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Wandering Around East Looe

East Looe is somewhere that needs to be explored, and as such this stroll around town isn’t meant to be a definitive trail, but a guide as to what can be seen when wandering around.

With this in mind, the bridge that connects East and West Looe is still a good place to start, as it’s probably the first thing that visitors will see when entering the town for the first time, as well as being one of its most important historical features.

The first bridge to be built across the river was a wooden affair in 1411, but by 1436 a sturdier stone bridge was erected to join the two towns.

In a wall on the West Looe side of the bridge there’s a stone reminder of this bridge showing that it was repaired by the county in 1689. It sounds as though this medieval bridge was quite impressive, but of course time took its toll and the one we see today replaced it in 1853.

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Originally posted 2018-07-15 14:41:22.

Exploring the Rame Peninsula

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Exploring the Rame Peninsula

The Rame Peninsula, for anybody who doesn’t know it, is the bit of Cornwall you can see from Plymouth Hoe. It’s a natural assumption therefore to think that this part of Cornwall is frequented by Janners (Plymothians) more than visitors from elsewhere, and you would be right: But you would be wrong for thinking that it’s somewhere to pass by on your journey down west, and in this post I’m going to explain why.

There are several ways of getting there, but for people with a car who like to explore I’m suggesting that we travel the long way round to begin with and drive across the Tamar Bridge, and then return to Plymouth via the Torpoint Ferry. I have my reasons for saying this, but you can travel the other way round if you prefer.

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Originally posted 2020-07-14 14:11:31.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel and the Royal Albert Bridge

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Isambard Kingdom Brunel and the Royal Albert Bridge

The source of the River Tamar lies less than 4 miles from the North Cornish coast, but instead of flowing the short distance into the Celtic Sea it makes a sixty mile journey in the opposite direction across the south-west peninsula towards Plymouth Sound where it enters the English Channel. The river forms most of the Devon/Cornwall border almost making Cornwall an island, and along with its Celtic background, makes the county feel very different from the rest of England.

Travellers to Cornwall still regard it as a long way from anywhere even though communications have improved over the years, but being cut off from the rest of the country may have had some advantages, but there were disadvantages as well. If you look at a topographical map of the region you’ll also notice that Dartmoor is another obstacle that gets in the way of a direct route into Cornwall, and how to get to the other side of Dartmoor and over the Tamar was the dilemma that faced those in the 19th century who needed to improve transport connections to London and the rest of the country.

For years, Falmouth had handled most of the international mail from the colonies by using packet ships, but its poor road connections were leaving it vulnerable to other ports which were able to take advantage of an expanding rail network with better access to the capital – and when the government announced proposals to transfer the bulk of the packet service to Southampton, it was time to do something about it, and so plans were put forward to build a railway line that would connect Falmouth to London.

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Originally posted 2024-10-29 10:14:02.

Seeking Out Old Exeter

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Seeking Out Old Exeter

The Baedeker Blitz had a devastating effect on Exeter, especially around the city centre, but there are still some interesting old nooks and crannies that are worth seeking out. I’d rather not call this a trail because in my mind a trail sounds like a picturesque ramble somewhere, but that would be misleading because this isn’t really a picturesque route at all. It just joins up places that are spread around a bit.

To keep things simple, I’m starting off in the city centre at the crossroads where High Street, Fore Street, North Street and South Street meet, and to reach Stepcote Hill, our first point of interest, we need to walk down Fore Street and take the first left into Market Street: Then, take the first right into Smythen Street and continue on down past the Fat Pig and cross over King Street into Stepcote Hill.

It may not be quite so obvious these days, but in Roman times Stepcote Hill was the main route between the city and the river. The worn steps either side of the cobbled street would suggest that this is where the hill got its name from, but in actual fact Stepcote means ‘steep enclosure’.

The first occupants would have been well respected merchants, but by Victorian times the area had gained a reputation for squalid living conditions and low life expectancy. The 1920s saw the slums cleared away, but there are still a couple of timber-framed survivors dating from around 1500 at the bottom of the hill opposite St. Mary Steps Church, and also a building known as the House that Moved.

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Originally posted 2018-12-22 22:17:45.