List of crossings of the River Esk, North Yorkshire
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/Duck_Bridge_Ford_near_Danby_-_geograph.org.uk_-_3807462.jpg/220px-Duck_Bridge_Ford_near_Danby_-_geograph.org.uk_-_3807462.jpg)
This is a list of current bridges and other crossings of the River Esk and are listed from source downstream to the river's mouth. The River Esk rises near Westerdale and is the combination of several small streams known as "Esklets".[1] The river valley has been beset by serious flooding in 1828, 1880, and 1930. Several bridges were lost during the floods of 1930. Most of the railway bridges have numbers, rather than names according to the Engineer's Line Reference.[2]
The river has been crossed by many fords although most are now not in everyday use. Some of these fords are referred to as a "wath", which is from the Old Norse vað meaning ford. Examples of this are at Briggswath, Hellawath (in Glaisdale), and Bluewath Beck (in Egton).[3]
Source to Glaisdale
[edit]Crossing | Location | Type | Co-ordinates | Date opened | Listing | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Osseker Crook Bridge (Foot) | Westerdale | Foot | 54°26′20″N 0°59′14″W / 54.4390°N 0.9871°W | Unknown | N/A | ||
Upper Esk Road bridge | Westerdale | Road | 54°26′47″N 0°58′47″W / 54.4464°N 0.9798°W | Unknown | N/A | Opened to replace traffic having to use Hunter's Sty Bridge adjacent to the east | [4] |
Hunter's Sty Bridge | Westerdale | Packhorse | 54°26′47″N 0°58′46″W / 54.4465°N 0.9795°W | c. late 13th century | Scheduled monument | [5] | |
Dibble Bridge | Castleton | Road | 54°27′42″N 0°57′32″W / 54.4618°N 0.9590°W | c. 1720 | II | A bridge was mentioned at this location in 1301 and 1539, though the current bridge dates back to the early 18th century. | [6][7] |
Bow Bridge | Castleton | Road | 54°27′59″N 0°56′41″W / 54.4663°N 0.9446°W | 1873 | N/A | Built in 1873 to replace a 13th-century bridge at the same location | [8] |
Howe Wath Bridge | Ainthorpe | Road | 54°27′55″N 0°55′38″W / 54.4653°N 0.9271°W | N/A | |||
Ainthorpe Bridge | Ainthorpe | Road | 54°27′54″N 0°54′33″W / 54.4651°N 0.9091°W | Early 19th century | N/A | [8] | |
Railway bridge | Danby | Railway | 54°27′48″N 0°53′54″W / 54.4634°N 0.8984°W | 2012 | N/A | Railway was opened in October 1865, but the bridge replaced in 2012 by Network Rail | [9][10][11] |
Railway bridge | Danby | Railway | 54°27′39″N 0°53′28″W / 54.4608°N 0.8910°W | 2012 | N/A | Railway was opened in October 1865, but the bridge replaced in 2012 by Network Rail | [9][10][11] |
Duck Bridge | Danby | Packhorse | 54°27′36″N 0°53′29″W / 54.4599°N 0.8915°W | See notes | II* | Unknown – largely rebuilt in 1717 by George Duck. Pevsner suggests a date of c. 1386 due to the coat of arms present on the bridge. Previous to its renovation by Duck, it was known as Danby Castle Bridge.[12] | [13][14] |
Shackleton Bridge | Houlsyke | Road | 54°27′23″N 0°52′08″W / 54.4564°N 0.8689°W | c. 1950 | N/A | Shackleton Bridge used to be on a north/south alignment; bridge and road were remodelled in the early 1950s, compare mapping from 1947 and 1951 in citations at NZ735074. | [15][16] |
Lealholm Bridge | Lealholm | Road | 54°27′29″N 0°49′30″W / 54.4581°N 0.8250°W | Early 19th century | II | Historic England state the bridge was built at the turn of the 19th century; Pevsner states possibly 1755. A bridge at Lealholm was first mentioned in 1630. | [17][18][19] |
Railway viaduct (Bridge 72) | Rake House (Glaisdale) | Rail | 54°26′59″N 0°48′12″W / 54.4497°N 0.8032°W | 1865 | Three-arch railway viaduct carrying the Esk Valley Line | [20] | |
Bridge 76 | Thorneywaite | Rail | 54°26′44″N 0°48′05″W / 54.4456°N 0.8014°W | 2012 | N/A | Railway was opened in October 1865, but the bridge replaced in 2012 by Network Rail | [9][10][11] |
Carr End Bridge (Bridge 80) | Glaisdale | Rail | 54°26′25″N 0°47′44″W / 54.4403°N 0.7956°W | 2012 | N/A | Railway was opened in October 1865, but the bridge replaced in 2012 by Network Rail | [9][10][11] |
Limber Hill Road | Glaisdale | Road | 54°26′20″N 0°47′32″W / 54.4388°N 0.7921°W | c. 1951–1954 | N/A | Mapping from 1951 shows road still using Beggar's Bridge to the immediate south (see below) and the ford still in use. By 1954, a new bridge had been built over the area of the ford. | [21][22] |
Beggar's Bridge | Glaisdale | Foot | 54°26′19″N 0°47′32″W / 54.4386°N 0.7921°W | 1619 | II* | Built by Thomas Ferris so that people living either side of the river could cross. | [23] |
Limber Hill (Bridge 81) | Glaisdale | Rail | 54°26′25″N 0°47′44″W / 54.4403°N 0.7956°W | 1865 (partially reconstructed in 2012 | N/A | [24] | |
Limber Hill wood (Bridge 82) | Glaisdale | Rail | 54°26′05″N 0°47′10″W / 54.4347°N 0.7862°W | 1932 | N/A | Girder bridge carrying the railway line; original stone bridge was built in 1865, washed away in the flood of 1930, replacement metal single-span girder bridge opened in May 1931, but that too was swept away in a flood of September 1931. Double girder bridge opened in December 1932 | [25] |
Delves (Bridge 83) | Glaisdale | Rail | 54°26′01″N 0°46′52″W / 54.4337°N 0.7811°W | 1865 | N/A | [26] |
Egton to Whitby
[edit]Crossing | Location | Type | Co-ordinates | Date opened | Listing | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Egton Bridge | Egton Bridge | Road | 54°27′41″N 0°39′51″W / 54.4614°N 0.6641°W | c. 1930 | N/A | Metal bridge replacing a stone bridge washed away in the floods of 1930. | [27] |
Railway viaduct (Beckside Farm Bridge 90) |
Egton Bridge | Rail | 54°27′41″N 0°39′51″W / 54.4614°N 0.6641°W | 1865 | N/A | Stone arch viaduct | [28][29] |
Footbridge | Grosmont | Foot | 54°26′16″N 0°43′54″W / 54.4378°N 0.7316°W | Unknown | N/A | ||
Grosmont Bridge | Grosmont | Road | 54°26′15″N 0°43′51″W / 54.4376°N 0.7307°W | Late 17th/early 18th century | II | A three-arched road bridge, with the centre span being slightly higher than the adjoining two either side. | [30] |
Tramway bridge | Grosmont | Tramway | 54°26′20″N 0°43′33″W / 54.4389°N 0.7259°W | Unknown | N/A | The bridge carried a tramway associated with the iron-workings in the area. | [31][32] |
Bridge 44[note 1] | Grosmont | Rail | 54°26′24″N 0°43′22″W / 54.4400°N 0.7229°W | Unknown | N/A | Railway bridge | [28][33] |
Bridge 45 | Grosmont | Rail | 54°26′33″N 0°42′55″W / 54.4426°N 0.7152°W | Unknown | N/A | Railway bridge | [28][34] |
Bridge 46 | Grosmont | Rail | 54°26′35″N 0°42′32″W / 54.4430°N 0.7089°W | Unknown | N/A | Railway bridge | [28][35] |
Bridge 47 | Eskdaleside cum Ugglebarnby | Rail | 54°26′50″N 0°41′55″W / 54.4472°N 0.6985°W | Unknown | N/A | Railway bridge | [28][36] |
Bridge 48 | Eskdaleside cum Ugglebarnby | Rail | 54°26′53″N 0°41′42″W / 54.4481°N 0.6949°W | Unknown | N/A | Railway bridge | [28][37] |
Bridge 50 | Eskdaleside cum Ugglebarnby | Rail | 54°27′05″N 0°40′56″W / 54.4515°N 0.6822°W | Unknown | N/A | Railway bridge | [28][38] |
Bridge 51 | Eskdaleside cum Ugglebarnby | Rail | 54°27′18″N 0°40′27″W / 54.4549°N 0.6743°W | Unknown | N/A | Railway bridge | [28][39] |
Bridge 52 | Eskdaleside cum Ugglebarnby | Rail | 54°27′25″N 0°40′14″W / 54.4569°N 0.6705°W | Unknown | N/A | Railway bridge | [28][40] |
Sleights road bridge | Sleights | Road | 54°27′41″N 0°39′51″W / 54.4614°N 0.6641°W | 1937 | Replaced three-arch stone bridge that was washed away in the flood of 1930. Carries the A169 road. | [41] | |
Sleights footbridge | Sleights | Foot | 54°27′41″N 0°39′42″W / 54.4614°N 0.6618°W | unknown | N/A | This bridge is undated, however a ford and a bridge were here in 1230, when the village of Briggswath was named, meaning bridge-ford. | [42] |
Ruswarp viaduct | Ruswarp | Rail | 54°28′09″N 0°37′43″W / 54.4693°N 0.6287°W | Unknown | N/A | Mapping from the 1850s shows the span as being a wooden viaduct, however, the current bridge has cast iron supports. | [28][43] |
Ruswarp bridge | Ruswarp | Road | 54°28′09″N 0°37′40″W / 54.4693°N 0.6277°W | 1937 | N/A | Steelwork and other engineering carried out by Dorman Long. It replaced an earlier bridge at this location which had been lost to flooding. | [44][45] |
Larpool Viaduct (Esk Viaduct) | Whitby | Rail | 54°28′29″N 0°37′07″W / 54.4746°N 0.6186°W | 1885 | II* | Opened as part of the Scarborough and Whitby Railway, 125 feet (38 m) above the water | [46] |
Whitby New Bridge | Whitby | Road | 54°28′44″N 0°36′50″W / 54.4788°N 0.6139°W | 1980 | N/A | Carries the A171 across the River Esk. Construction on the bridge started in 1978, with the concrete deck being pushed into place in September 1979. It was opened on 20 March 1980 by the Marquis of Normanby. | [47][48] |
Whitby Swing Bridge | Whitby | Road | 54°29′14″N 0°36′47″W / 54.4871°N 0.6131°W | 1909 | N/A | Swing bridge near the mouth of the River Esk in Whitby town. | [49] |
Other crossings and abandoned bridges
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/Stepping_stones%2C_Lealholm_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2835519.jpg/220px-Stepping_stones%2C_Lealholm_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2835519.jpg)
- Bow Bridge, was of a similar design to Hunter's Sty and Beggar's Bridge, but was destroyed in 1873 when the newer Bow Bridge was built.[12]
- Dick Bridge; 1856 map shows a wooden bridge where Shackleton Bridge is now.[50]
- Stepping stones at Walker's Wath.[51]
- Ford and footbridge at Rake Bridge; the ford used to be part of a track between Whitby and York via Glaisdale.[54] Ford has been used well into the 21st century; a flood swept a car away from Rake's Bridge Ford in 2023.[55]
- A bridge would have taken the Cleveland Extension Mineral Railway across the River Esk just to the east of the ford, footbridge and railway bridge at Rake House, but this was never built. The cuttings on approach to either side were dug out, but the scheme failed before major engineering works were undertaken.[56]
- A ford at Glaisdale, to the north of Beggar's Bridge (at NZ784055), was used before the bridge was built.[59][58]
- Mapping from 1880, shows Stang Bridge a wooden bridge at NZ814049. Modern mapping shows a smaller bridge, slightly westwards at the point of an old ford.[61]
- The ford at Sleights (by the footbridge at the railway station) was granted to Whitby Abbey in the early 13th century.[62] The original road bridge at Sleights which was accessed by a level crossing at the west end of the station was washed away in the flood of 1930.[63] It was replaced by a high-level bridge to the west which spans both the railway and the river, 160 yards (150 m) upstream.[64][41]
- Between 1825 and 1828, a suspension bridge was built to the west of Ruswarp; this acted as a main crossing in the area, before a road bridge was built later by the railway station. Flooding brought down the suspension bridge.[65]
- The original Whitby & Pickering Railway viaduct at Ruswarp was made from Baltic pine (imported through the Port of Whitby), and carried two tracks diagonally over the river for 312 feet (95 m).[66]
- An "iron road bridge" was built by the railway station at Ruswarp in 1873. It was lost in the flooding of 1930.[62]
- A ford existed at Ruswarp where the road bridge is now.[67]
- A small packhorse bridge (at NZ092894) is thought to be evidence of a ford across the river from Ruswarp to Larpool Lane. The river was altered to take a sharp meander out of its course when the railway was built in 1836.[67][68][69]
- A ford at Bog Hall (Whitby) could be crossed at low water. The ford was part of an old track that connected both sides of the river.[70]
- A bridge was spanning the harbour in Whitby in 1351, and another was rebuilt in stone in 1746, where the current 1909 swing bridge is.[71]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Bridges numbers change as the ELR also changes with original formation of the Whitby & Pickering Railway between Grosmont and Whitby.
References
[edit]- ^ "Esk | UK Environmental Change Network". ecn.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ Kelman, Leanne (2020). Railway track diagrams 2: Eastern (5 ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. 63. ISBN 978-1-9996271-3-3.
- ^ Smith, A. H. (1979) [1928]. The Place Names of the North Riding of Yorkshire. English Place Name Society. pp. 117, 119, 129. OCLC 19714705.
- ^ Whitworth 2011, p. 92.
- ^ Historic England. "Hunter's Sty Bridge (1021021)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ Historic England. "Dibble Bridge over River Esk (Grade II) (1316231)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ Hayes 1988, p. 59.
- ^ a b Page 1968, p. 336.
- ^ a b c d Bairstow, Martin (2008). Railways around Whitby volume one. Farsley: Bairstow. ISBN 978-1871944-34-1.
- ^ a b c d Kelman, Leanne (2020). Railway track diagrams 2: Eastern (5 ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. 48B. ISBN 978-1-9996271-3-3.
- ^ a b c d Jeeves, Paul (31 May 2012). "Major work to replace rail bridges". The Yorkshire Post. p. 15. ISSN 0963-1496.
- ^ a b Jervoise 1931, p. 62.
- ^ Historic England. "Duck Bridge (Grade II*) (1302337)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ Pevsner 2002, p. 135.
- ^ "Shackleton Bridge 1947: Great Britain. Ordnance Survey". maps.nls.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ "Shackleton Bridge 1954: Great Britain. Ordnance Survey". maps.nls.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ Historic England. "Lealholm Bridge (Grade II) (1148587)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ Pevsner 2002, p. 227.
- ^ Page 1968, p. 349.
- ^ "RailwayData | Bridges – MBW2 74 – River Esk, Rake Farm". railwaydata.co.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ "View map: Great Britain. Ordnance Survey, 45/70 – B (includes: Danby; Egton; Glaisdale) – 1951". maps.nls.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
At NZ784055
- ^ "View map: Great Britain. Ordnance Survey, NZ70 – C (includes: Danby; Egton; Glaisdale) – 1954". maps.nls.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
At NZ784055
- ^ Hayes 1988, p. 21.
- ^ "RailwayData | Bridges – MBW2 81 – River Esk, Limber Hill, Carr End". railwaydata.co.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ Benham, Philip (2008). An illustrated history of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Hersham: OPC. pp. 28–29. ISBN 9780860936220.
- ^ "RailwayData | Bridges - MBW2 83 - River Esk, Delves". railwaydata.co.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ Hayes 1988, p. 60.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kelman, Leanne (2020). Railway track diagrams 2: Eastern (5 ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. 48C. ISBN 978-1-9996271-3-3.
- ^ "RailwayData | Bridges - MBW2 90 - River Esk, Beckside Farm". railwaydata.co.uk. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ Historic England. "Grosmont Bridge (Grade II) (1148748)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ "Tramway bridge at Grosmont". maps.nls.uk. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
Use the slider on the bottom left (named "Change transparency of overlay") to toggle between old mapping and modern-day satellite imagery
- ^ "RailwayData | Bridges – MBW3 – Mbw3/43 Former Wagonway See Notepad". railwaydata.co.uk. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ "RailwayData | Bridges – MBW3 44 – River Esk, Grosmont". railwaydata.co.uk. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ "RailwayData | Bridges – MBW3 45 – River Esk, Birtley Farm". railwaydata.co.uk. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ "RailwayData | Bridges – MBW3 46 – River Esk, Dorsley Bank". railwaydata.co.uk. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ "RailwayData | Bridges – MBW3 47 – River Esk, Crag Farm". railwaydata.co.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ "RailwayData | Bridges – MBW3 48 – River Esk, Newbiggin South". railwaydata.co.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ "RailwayData | Bridges – MBW3 50 – River Esk, Newbiggin North". railwaydata.co.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ "RailwayData | Bridges – MBW3 51 – River Esk, Thistle Grove". railwaydata.co.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ "RailwayData | Bridges – MBW3 52 – River Esk, Sleights". railwaydata.co.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ a b Whitworth 1998, p. 31.
- ^ Smith, A. H. (1979) [1928]. The Place Names of the North Riding of Yorkshire. English Place Name Society. p. 119. OCLC 19714705.
- ^ Thompson, Alan (2001). Cleveland and North Yorkshire (part 2). Kettering: Past & Present. p. 109. ISBN 1-8589-5054-6.
- ^ "Dorman Long". The Times. No. 52310. 13 May 1952. p. 8. ISSN 0140-0460.
- ^ Whitworth 1998, p. 23.
- ^ Biddle, Gordon; Nock, O. S. (1983). The railway heritage of Britain: 150 years of railway architecture and engineering. London: M. Joseph. p. 39. ISBN 0718123557.
- ^ "The Deck of the £1.8 million Whitby New Bridge". Evening Gazette. No. 34, 603. 18 September 1979. p. 7. ISSN 2056-6131.
- ^ Woodhouse, Bob (22 May 2015). "On the railway route to Ruswarp". Middlesbrough Evening Gazette. ProQuest 1682297149. Retrieved 9 June 2024.ProQuest 1682297149
- ^ "Swing Bridge". heritagegateway.org.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ "Dick Bridge". maps.nls.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ "Walker's Wath". maps.nls.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ "Lealholm Ford". maps.nls.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ Whitworth 2011, p. 52.
- ^ Robinson 1991, p. 324.
- ^ Newton, Grace (29 December 2023). "Glaisdale tragedy: Photos show 4x4 that was swept away in River Esk in Yorkshire two years before three men died at same location". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ Moore, R. F. (1986). Paddy Waddell's Railway. Danby: North York Moors National Park Authority. p. 26. ISBN 0-907480-12-8.
- ^ "Georeferenced Maps - Map images - National Library of Scotland". maps.nls.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ a b Robinson 1991, p. 325.
- ^ "Georeferenced Maps – Map images – National Library of Scotland". maps.nls.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ Bell, Stuart (10 April 2024). "A Stroll With Stu: take a springtime walk around Egton Grange, near Whitby". the Scarborough News. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ "Georeferenced Maps – Map images – National Library of Scotland". maps.nls.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
Use the slider on the bottom left (named "Change transparency of overlay") to toggle between old mapping and modern-day satellite imagery
- ^ a b Page 1968, p. 514.
- ^ Hayes 1988, p. 24.
- ^ Benham, Philip (2008). An illustrated history of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Hersham: OPC. p. 28. ISBN 9780860936220.
- ^ Whitworth 1998, p. 29.
- ^ Whitworth 1998, pp. 25–26.
- ^ a b "View map: Ordnance Survey, Yorkshire 32". maps.nls.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ Waters, Colin (2011). A history of Whitby & its place names. Stroud: Amberley. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-4456-0429-9.
- ^ Whitworth 1998, p. 19.
- ^ Hayes 1988, p. 26.
- ^ Jervoise 1931, p. 65.
Sources
[edit]- Hayes, Raymond H. (1988). Old roads and pannierways in North East Yorkshire. North York Moors National Park. ISBN 0-907480-20-9.
- Jervoise, E. (1931). The ancient bridges of the North of England. London: The Architectural Press. OCLC 221808532.
- Page, William (1968). The Victoria history of the county of York, North Riding, volume 2. London: Dawsons of Pall Mall for the University of London Institute of Historical Research. ISBN 0712903100.
- Pevsner, Nikolaus (2002) [1966]. Yorkshire, the North Riding. London: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-09665-8.
- Robinson, R. A. (1991). The story of Danby. Danby: R. A. Robinson. ISBN 0-9518352-0-3.
- Whitworth, Alan (1998). Esk Valley Railway: a travellers' guide; a description of the history and topography of the line between Whitby and Middlesbrough. Barnsley: Wharncliffe Books. ISBN 1-8716-4749-5.
- Whitworth, Alan (2011). In & around the North York Moors through time. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4456-0599-9.
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