Cavendish Bridge

The Toll charges - these stones were removed when the olde bridge was demolished and now stand by the old road, near Shardlow.

Cavendish Bridge is the name of a bridge over the River Trent, and a hamlet, on the border between Leicestershire and Derbyshire. It once carried the main London-Manchester turnpike, though a modern dual carriageway has now been built to the south bypassing the location.

History

Before the bridge there was a ferry here called Wilden Ferry since at least 1309. This was replaced by the Cavendish bridge in 1760. The bridge took its name from the patron of the scheme, William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire. The three arch bridge was designed by James Paine. Tolls were collected until 1888 when the turnpike trusts were wound up. This bridge however was washed away by flood waters in 1947. A temporary Bailey Bridge was erected before the present bridge opened in 1957. Presently, traffic lights only allow vehicular traffic over the bridge in one direction at one particular time.

There is a hamlet named after the bridge on the Leicestershire side of the river, within the Castle Donington parish. On the Derbyshire side is the village of Shardlow.

Next road crossing upstream	River Trent	Next road crossing downstream
A50 road	Cavendish Bridge B5010 road Grid reference: SK447299	M1 motorway

External links

• Information about the Cavendish Bridge Conservation Area