Without bridges, the landscape can become a puzzle of islands, sewn together by deep channels of water, only accessible by getting wet or by boat. Today they are crossed without notice, their relevance heightened on the rare occasions they are closed for repairs, requiring substantial diversions. Beginning as fords, raised river beds that required constant reconstruction, they grew into small timber structures, then into mini castles. Construction and maintenance was costly meaning they were built where they were most needed, settlement following soon after. The pattern of movement changed greatly with the introduction of turnpikes in the 18th century resulting in the old routes being replaced with more efficient roads. Today many ancient bridges still exist, some still used by traffic but many scattered, deep in the rural countryside.
Railways brought new engineering skills in the form of viaducts, stepping over valleys and connecting areas that were otherwise isolated. Meanwhile tunnels were carved into the slopes, breaking through the chalk hills that dominate the county. However, earlier tunnels also exist which were mostly used in secret by priests during the dissolution, the King during the Civil War, the Duke of Monmouth during the rebellion or smugglers escaping the law.
Click on the linked names for more information and access details. It is not a comprehensive list, but it may become one one day!
Bridges
12th Century
Roman Bridge, Preston (Norman)
The ‘Roman Bridge’, now buried under brambles and bushes, is a little, single arched bridge thought to have been built in the early 18th century with 16th century foundations, but, its exact date is uncertain. Hearsay and folklore claim that it dates back much further, to the Romans, connecting both the nearby Roman temple and Roman villa to the Roman road and the prosperous Roman town of Durnovaria. However, analysis of the construction has suggested a Norman origin. It would have been an important crossing point over the River Jordan but was finally trumped by the turnpike and then the newer bridge to the south in the 19th century. Its future may be in jeopardy as its site is slowly forgotten, submerged into the garden of the, private, Roman Bridge Cottage.
Outer Bridge, Corfe Castle
The Outer Bridge crosses the moat of the Mighty Corfe Castle to enter the village square. The castle was one of King John’s favourites, spending more time here than anywhere else and often improving and enlarging it. The village grew around the square providing the labour and materials for King John’s building work. In the centre of the square stands the medieval cross and village pump all placed above a deep well. It was here, at the entrance to the castle, where King Edward was killed in 978AD, under mysterious circumstances (most probably by his stepmother who wanted her son to be king). After the dastardly deed was complete it is rumoured that the body was hidden in the well. He was later taken to Wareham before a more formal procession took the body to Shaftesbury Abbey, where he was considered a saint. Today the route they travelled across Dorset is a long distance footpath called St Edward’s Way.
White Mill, Sturminster Marshall 1175
White Mill Bridge is complete with its warning plaque of deportation if any damage is done. The bridge site is apparently one of the oldest in the county, the surprisingly wide (12ft) bridge dates back to the 16th century but stands on timber pilings that date back to the 12th century. It sits between two other medieval crossings of Crawford Bridge, which led to the old abbey at Tarrant Crawford, and Julian’s Bridge, which took people to the Minster in Wimborne.
The river beneath the bridge claims to hide the bells of Knowlton Church, stolen in the middle of the night and dropped into the flowing water. However, the silt on the river bed only sucked them deeper when they were trying to be retrieved, leaving them there for only the future to find.
The River’s Knowlton bells?
Buddle, Lyme Regis
Buddle Bridge is hidden under the main road which cuts through the heart of Lyme Regis, crossing the River Lim. An arch, dating from the 12th century exists within a cellar of a neighbouring house as it was greatly altered during the 14th and 15th centuries. In 1913 the road was widened resulting in the destruction of the houses that lined its edge, this included Mary Anning’s home and Fossil Shop.
PACKHORSE – Fifehead Neville
Packhorse bridges sat on the hidden trade routes, and religious pilgrimages used by those traveling between settlements. Animals were laden with sacks to carry goods across the country using the shortcuts which were unsuitable for carriages. They were designed with no parapets so that the loaded animals could cross water without obstruction. They were usually low, so animals did not have to climb, and long, so they bypassed flooding. They are usually constructed from rubble or rough stone found locally and only wide enough for one horse at a time.
Fifehead Neville is home to possibly the oldest packhorse bridge. Dating back to about 1200, with two distinctive pointed arches, it is 6ft (1.83m) high and 6ft (1.83m) wide, with the simple purpose to access either side of the temperamental River Divelish. It has since had wooden parapets added but without them it is clear to see how the bridge allowed laden pack animals to cross without obstruction.
It neighbours the site of what was once was of Dorset’s most elaborate and impressive buildings. In 1880 and 1903 the remains of two extensive wings of a Roman villa were found, complete with columns, floor mosaics, hypocaust systems, lead piping, a rectangular plunge bath, a horde of tools and early Christian jewellery. The jewellery included two silver rings found engraved with the Chi-Rho symbol, an ancient Christian symbol, suggesting that they were wealthy Christians that lived here. Many of the artefacts are on display at the recently renovated Dorset County Museum in Dorchester.
Crawford, Spetisbury
Built in the 15th century, but with much earlier foundations, the bridge sits only slightly upstream from White Mill (and from and old Roman ford). It is surprisingly long, at around 80 metres. Its nine arches crown a confluence of the river and an old mill leat of Keyneston Mill, which historically would have been part of the neighbouring Tarrant Crawford Abbey. The proximity of the Abbey to the bridge is unlikely to be a coincidence with the monks and nuns that served there having the funds and motivation to create access to the abbeys of Bindon, Cerne, Milton Abbas and Forde Abbey in the west.
Holmebridge
Earlier bridges dating from the 12th and 13th centuries are believed to have crossed the river here but the present day Holme Bridge dates from the early C17, lengthened in the following centuries. In 1644 a fierce battle took place here as part of the Civil War. A small group of 45 Irish Royalists fought for five hours against 300 Parliamentarians, motivated even more by their comrades being hung in Poole only days earlier. The Royalists were successful, beating their enemies away and killing 40 of them. During the Second World War the bridge was damaged so was temporarily replaced with a Bailey Bridge to the east. In 1963 the Bailey Bridge was replaced with the current bridge, superseding the original Holme Bridge just 10m away.
13th Century
Blandford
The bridge dates from 1268 but was extensively restored in 1726, embellished in 1783 and extended in 1812 to adapt to the heavily used turnpike route. Constructed from Portland stone and includes 6 arches is crosses the Stour on the London road replacing a ford which gave the town its name. During the Great Fire of Blandford Lepers were kept under the arches, out of harm’s way but at a safe distance from people.
14th Century
PACKHORSE – Tarrant Monkton
The Packhorse bridge of Tarrant Monkton sits on the old medieval road from Blandford to Cranborne – or more widely, Weymouth to London. To the west, it is a dead end for vehicles, but for foot traffic, it leads to Blandford Camp, an army training base. The bridge could also have been encouraged by the presence of the monks reputed to have once been here (hence the name), and a nunnery, which is said to have been in the neighbouring parish of Tarrant Launceston. It is just wide enough for a comfortable passage for a loaded animal at 1½ metres but the medieval road was eventually trumped by the creation of the turnpikes in the 18th century which then became the A354. Today the River Tarrant lends it name to a total of eight villages in the valley.
PACKHORSE – Rampisham
The packhorse bridge of Rampisham has been bypassed by a new road and now only serves as a bridleway. The landscape either side of the track suddenly drops away and is replaced with the bridge walls. The solid, surprisingly high, bridge crosses The River Frome having just sprung from its source in Evershot a mile to the north. The road it served could have been one of the main connections between the abbeys of Cerne Abbas and Abbotsbury.
PACKHORSE – Holwell
The name Holwell comes from the old English ‘hol’ and ‘walu’, meaning a hollow near water. It was once part of the wild Forest of Blackmore and was believed to be the location of the Forest’s principal hunting lodge, visited by King John himself on a number of occasions. The older village (known as The Borough) was located on the banks of the Caundle Brook, surrounded by open fields. Later growth moved south, shifting the focus away from the church and creating a newer road that eventually trumped the packhorse route which existed from the church to Woodbridge. The village was once a small island of Somerset, surrounded by Dorset, until 1844 when the parish boundaries were realigned.
Holwell Packhorse Bridge, crossing the Caundle Brook, is medieval in origin, and with Cornford Bridge just a kilometre upstream, suggests the connection to the north was an important one. Sadly, it has lost one of its arches to the water below. In the woodland on the northern banks is a small stepped well, or kiln. Local folklore claims this to be the Holy Well and the true origin of the village name!
15th Century
Town Bridge, Christchurch
The Town Bridge, on the eastern edge of the town centre of Christchurch, is spilt into two. The western bridge crosses the mill stream while the eastern bridge crosses a small branch of the River Avon. A third bridge is Waterloo Bridge, crossing a second wider section of the Avon. It was built in 1816 (a year after the famous Battle of Waterloo) to the same medieval design as the Town Bridge but has an accompanying steel footbridge on its northern side, added in 1950.
Old Bridge, Wool
To the north of the town sits Wool Bridge, an important crossing over the River Frome. A medieval bridge was recorded in 1343 but the small, single-lane, hump-backed, stone bridge standing today dates from the 16th century. It is no longer used by modern day traffic but the crossing once led the traveller past Woolbridge Manor. The manor was originally under the ownership of Bindon Abbey but after the Dissolution of the Monasteries it came to the Turberville family. The house dates from the 17th century but was damaged during the Civil War and remodelled in 1660. The manor has some important literary associations as it was Wellbridge House in Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles. The house became the scene of tragedy during Tess and Angel Clare’s honeymoon.
On a full moon an apparition of a coach and its full set of horses are said to depart the manor and cross over the medieval bridge. It apparently carries John Turberville and his soon to be wife Anne Howard as they eloped in the middle of the night. However, it can only be seen by those with Turberville blood.
Town Bridge, Sturminster Newton
Sturminster Bridge was built in 1500 and recorded as being one of finest in Dorset. It has 6 arches and immortalised by the poem ‘On Sturminster Bridge’ by Thomas Hardy who, for a short while, lived in the town. However, this poem could also be relating to Colber Bridge on the other side of Sturminster, but is just as relevant on this spot.
On Sturminster Bridge
Reticulations creep upon the slack stream’s face
When the wind skims irritably past,
The current clucks smartly into each hollow place
That years of flood have scrabbled in the pier’s sodden base;
The floating-lily leaves rot fast.
On a roof stand the swallows ranged in wistful waiting rows,
Till they arrow off and drop like stones
Among the eyot-withies at whose foot the river flows;
And beneath the roof is she who in the dark world shows
As a lattice-gleam when midnight moans.
Directly opposite the bridge, high on the hill are the ruins of Sturminster Castle, on possibly an Iron Age hillfort.
North Bridge, Wareham
Wareham was founded by the Saxons between the banks of the River Piddle and the River Frome to the north and south. To the east were the marshes of Poole Harbour and the west the great earthen banks and timber palisades that defended the settlement further. A bridge was first recorded her in 1483, possibly superseding a drawbridge. It was rebuilt and extended in the 17th century and widened in the 19th century.
The North Bridge crosses the Piddle into the town, still used by traffic today, passing the chapel of St Martin on the Walls, one of the oldest buildings in the town. It is a perfect example of a Saxon church, dated at about 1030, soon to experience its 1000th birthday! Inside is a tomb effigy to Lawrence of Arabia.
Cornford, Holwell 1480
Cornford Bridge is a medieval multi span bridge which has had its fair share of repair over the years; however, its medieval characteristics are still visible. It was built around 1480 to connect the village of Holwell to the abbey town of Sherborne. A little gate on its north western corner provides access to the field in order to view the arches. The stretch of road is actually part of the old turnpike road, introduced in 1761, that joined Sherborne to Blandford, its only surviving toll house standing on the junction of the A3030 with the A352. The majority of turnpike roads grew into the major arteries that still divide the county today, but this one remains as only country lanes and bridle ways.
16th Century
Walford Bridge, Wimborne
Wimborne is famous for its Minster that dates back to around 700AD, its importance being reflected in the town’s full name. It was once a monastery and nunnery and contains the body of King Ethelred of Wessex (the older brother of Alfred the Great) who was buried here in 871. The nunnery was destroyed in 1013 by invading Saxons but the monastery remained and was remodelled in the 12th century. It managed to survive through the worst of the dissolution but in 1600 the large spire that topped the tower fell down in a storm. Inside the Minster is a chained library, only a few of which survive in the world, as well as a 14th century astronomical clock.
To the north of the town is Walford Bridge, dating from the early 16th century and widened in the 18th. The crossing over the River Allen was also part of Walford Mill. Little is actually known about the mill’s history. It is thought that the site dates back to the 16th century, but none of the original building survives. In the late 19th century 2 large waterwheels were replaced with turbines and the main building was extended, but in 1966 it was closed. The land was, unsurprisingly, owned by the Banks family of Kingston Lacy and used for a number of different purposes until Mr Banks’ death in 1982 when it was bequeathed to the National Trust. The following year the council bought the land from the Trust who then renovated the building and landscaped the gardens to create a tourist attraction. The lease was then offered to the Dorset Craft Guild in 1986 and has since become a showcase centre for local art and design.
Axe Bridge, Thorncombe
16th century stone bridge over the River Axe and into Dorset. It neighbours Forde Abbey which began its life as a 12th century Cistercian monastery. Its name is simply gained from the crossing over the river. In 1539, it was given to the crown, peacefully, during the reformation. In 1649 it was sold to Edmund Prideaux who converted the monastery into a private home and the majority of the buildings have remained unchanged. The bridge crosses the two counties of Somerset and Dorset, the river creating an important political divide.
Smith’s Bridge, Bradford Abbas
Smith’s Bridge crosses the River Yeo just after the confluence with the river Wiggle, It neighbours an old Grist Mill, on a site which is thought to have been occupied for centuries. Five different Roman Lime kilns have been unearthed nearby as well as a Roman villa. In 2010 crop marks to the north revealed foundations of a Roman Camp, dated to around the 1st century AD. It is placed on a small spur with far reaching views to the North West into today’s Somerset. Only four similar sites have been discovered in the south west of England.
17th Century
Julian’s Bridge, Wimborne 1636
To the south of Wimborne is Julian’s Bridge, crossing the River Stour. Recordings of a bridge here date from the 1500s but this structure was built in 1636. It has since endured further widening and strengthening to cope with the modern day traffic which uses it today. Just upstream is a small island called Julian Island. The name causes some controversy with the apostrophe apparently being a modern addition. However, it is possible that the name is from a wealthy landowner, Walter Julien, who possibly funded its maintenance.
Iford Bridge, Christchurch
Crossing the River Stour on the outskirts of Bournemouth the bridge has been encased in modern development. It is split up into three sections, crossing the Ilford Island, all dating from slightly different periods. The earliest section is at the eastern end and dates from the mid-1600s, the middle section dates from the 1700s and the final section was added in the 18th century. However the earliest recording of a bridge here dates from the 12th century with the bridge replacing an ancient ford. The name Iford derives from this crossing while the ‘I’ has two theories. Either it comes from the old English ‘yfer’ for slope or ‘ig’ for island. In 1932 a new bridge was constructed to the north moving the traffic on the busy A35 away from the older crossing.
Stanbridge Mill, Horton
Built before 1666, this road bridge over the River Allen was widened in 1760 to accommodate the increase in carriages using the newly established Shaftesbury to Ringwood turnpike. The bridge replaced a rougher crossing at Stanbridge Mill just upstream.
PACKHORSE – Sharford, Corfe
Crossing the Corfe River on the Isle of Purbeck is the old Sharford Bridge. It sits on an old droveway which would have carried horses loaded with salt, peat or clay from the surrounding quarries and coastline of the northern Purbecks. The bridge dates back to the 17th century and had some alterations in the 18th century, but little has changed since.
The River Corfe is one of five entering Poole Harbour. Originally this 9 mile stream was called the River Wytch, giving its name to the nearby farms and the estuary through which it enters the harbour. The origin comes from the old English ‘wice’ referring to the Wych-elm or other tree with gnarly branches, the landscape today filled with modern examples.
Sharford Bridge
PACKHORSE – Sturminster Marshall
This small and narrow packhorse bridge is hidden behind the village of Sturminster Marshall, crossing the River Winterborne just before it meets the River Stour. It dates back to the 17th Century before the introduction of the turnpike roads, enabling the travellers to follow the River Stour on its southern edge by foot or by horse between Wimborne and Blandford.
18th Century
PACKHORSE – Ryalls, Gussage St Michael
An easily missed small bridge crossing the River Crane and now is the rear garden of Ryalls Farmhouse. It has been dated to the 18th century and most likely used for carrying agricultural equipment and produce over the fields which were part of the larger Crichel estate.
Longham, Hampreston
Longham Bridge was built in 1728 then replaced in 1792. It is constructed using Purbeck Stone with eleven brick arches, crossing the River Stour. The name derives from the old English ‘lang’ and ‘hamm’ translating to long enclosure, possibly referring a spit of land round the course of the river. A deed of 1813 mentions a water grist mill on Langley Common near Longham Bridge.
Beer Hackett
This small bridge crossing the River Wiggle was rebuilt from 16th century foundations in the 18th century. It is placed on an old Drove Road, with possibly earlier origins, from Yetminster, over Batcombe Hill to Dorchester.
Vineyard, Corfe Castle
Over the little river Corfe, at the western end of Corfe Castle’s hill, is the 18th century Vineyard Bridge. It neighbours the ruins of West Mill, all part of the much larger, but at this time broken Corfe Castle estate, still building itself back out of the vicious Civil War of the 17th century. The crossing during in the war would have been crucial as it divided the Royalist castle from the Parliamentarian camp just up the hill (near the farm that gave the bridge its name). It is a single arched stone structure constructed from local Purbeck stone, some of which may have been collected from the remains of the recently slighted castle. Both the mill building and the bridge would have superseded much earlier versions.
Two Fords Bridge, Bagber
The main road from Blandford to Sherborne crosses the River Lydden using Two Fords Bridge. It dates from the late 18th century with the land to the east raised in 1825 to avoid flooding. A new bridge was added by Canadian army engineers in 1942 to support the movement of tanks. The steel bridge, although planned to be only a temporary installation, still carries the eastbound traffic from Sherborne to Blandford, while the stone bridge can be seen through the trusses. See also Bailey Bridge (20th Century) and Bagber (1850)
Peacock Bridge Frampton, Frampton
Peacock Bridge, crossing the River Frome, is a Georgian balustrade bridge, constructed from Portland Stone. It has been attributed to Sir Christopher Wren and sometimes called Wren’s Bridge, but was actually constructed in the late 1700s, way after his death in 1723, as part of Capability Brown’s garden design of Frampton Court. The drive from the house crosses the bridge and continues to meet the main road, flanked by Peacock Lodge at its entrance.
Peacock Bridge
Rolls Mill, Sturminster Newton
Rolls Bridge crosses over the River Devilish, built in the late 18th century. The main road has since diverted away from the route while the bridge now only serves the drives of the neighbouring houses.
Grey’s Bridge, Dorchester
Grey’s Bridge sits on the eastern edge of Dorchester near the psth of the old Roman Road. It replaced a bridge that was just to the north, known as Stockham Bridge, in 1748 and paid for by an endownment from Mrs Lora Pitt (d.1734) of Kingston Maurward. Lora’s family home was the old manor of Kingston Maurward and on the death of her father, George Grey, the estate went to her husband William Morton Pitt esq. The bridge was named after her family. It was repaired in in 1835 and widened in 1927. In 1988 it was bypassed by the duel carriage way.
The bridge featured in a number of Thomas Hardy novels including Under the Greenwood Tree (1872), ‘The Trumpet-Major’ (1880), ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’ (1886) and Far From the Madding Crowd (1874) where the Fanny died on the way to the poorhouse.
Broomhill Bridges, Moreton
The Broomhill Bridges, over the Tadnoll Brook, were built in 1769 by Edward Weld of Lulworth (to the south) and James Frampton of Moreton (to the north). They became part of the southern turnpike route between Wool and Dorchester.
Higher Wood, Bishops Caundle
Higher wood Bridge on the A3030, crossing the Caundle Brook dates back to 1770. However, it has been widened either side with concrete, hiding its original features.
Warr Bridge
The Vale of Blackmore Turnpike Trust was established in 1764-but it wasn’t until a later act in 1830 which created a new road from Lydlinch Common, crossing Warr Bridge over the Caundle Brook, to Stalbridge using the newly-built road to Thornhill House. This later became the route of the A357, reducing the importance of the old Lower Road to Sturminster, now a track running through Bagber. The toll house still survives on the junction with Waterloo Roads just on the western side of Warr Bridge.
Witchampton
Witchampton Bridge was built over the River Allen, with three semi-circular arches using foundations of an older bridge, in 1795 by local Samuel Kent. The crossing was once part of Witchampton Mill, now a private home. Its mill leat has been damned and the river Allen now controls its own course. The bridge became an important crossing during the Second World War with Tarrant Rushton Airfield, a few miles to the west, requiring easy access to Poole harbour and the coastline.
Eccliffe
In the early 19th century John Constable came to stay with a close friend, John Fisher, the vicar at Gillingham. Constable would frequently venture out into the countryside and the bridge at Eccliffe soon grabbed his attention; so much so he sketched the view, the image in the British Museum today. The neighbouring corn mill was rebuilt in 1904, after a fire.
Durweston
Introduced by Lord Portman of Bryanston to divert traffic away from his estate, Durweston Bridge was built in 1795. Consisting of 3 semi-circular arches it crosses the River Stour using the modern A356. Originally the road to Sherborne from Blandford cut through the Bryanston estate. In 1778 the Portman family, who had become owners of the estate after Richard Rodgers, pulled down the older manor and replaced it with a new manor designed by James Wyatt. The design also included two gatehouses at the new north and south entrances, still in situ today. This also led to the privatisation of their land, along with The Hambros of Milton Abbey, they rearranged the roads to suit their own personal requirements. The new road took the travellers on the north side of the river to join the original road from Blandford to Sherborne at a point close to an Inn called The Gate (just NW of Durweston).
Samways Bridge
On the old western drive to Frampton House is the late 18th century Samways Bridge. Crossing over the River Frome, in an area that was highly influenced by the lord of the manor, it has been topped with wooden posts
19th century
Early 1800s Lower Bockhampton Bridge
Built in the early 1800s, the bridge crosses one of the many arms of the River Frome, in the south west corner of the parish of Stinsford. To the north are the smaller hamlets of Higher and Lower Bockhampton. Higher Bockhampton was where the author Thomas Hardy was born, attending the school in Lower Bockhampton, close to the bridge. To the south of the bridge are the water meadows and floodplains of the Frome, which Hardy named the ‘Vale of the Great Dairies’. The bridge also featured in his book ‘Under the Greenwood Tree’ (1872); Stinsford was renamed Melstock, Lower Bockhampton, Lower Melstock, while next to the school was once a tree that locals called the Greenwood Tree.
Early 1800s Fitches, Pamphill
Fitches Bridge was built in the early 1800s. It is a single arch over the River Allen on a dead end road, passing High Hall, into the landscape of Badbury Rings. It sits within the parish of Pamphill, although far from the village. Instead the bridge takes th traveller to High Hall, which was originally part of the Banks’ estate of Kingston Lacy. It was built around 1666 with late 18th and 19th century alterations and could be viewed from, or to, the Kingston Lacy Manor House through an avenue of trees, the traces of which can still be made out in the landscape. The stables date from the 18th century and the brick garden wall has the date 1762 scratched into it. Also in the gardens is a brick water tower with a timber structure sitting on top, built in 1910.
1807 Gillingham Town Bridge
Gillingham Bridge, formerly known as Barnaby Bridge, crosses the Shreen Water just before merging with the River Stour and travelling deep into Dorset. Built in 1807 it has been given the title ‘County Bridge 1800’, but this could have been related to a previous crossing the present bridge replaced.
John Constable, who stayed at the vicarage during the 1820’s as a close friend of John Fisher (who officiated at his marriage in 1816 and became the vicar of Gillingham in 1819) painted a picture of the bridge in 1823 with the village church beyond, currently in the Tate Gallery.
1813 Trill
Trill Bridge is hidden deep in the Blackmore Vale, crossing a small River Stour. It connects the little villages of Todber and Fifehead Magdalen, while avoiding the high hill of Marnhull.
1813 Canford Bridge
Canford Bridge carries the main B3078 road south out of Wimborne and over the River Stour. It was competed in 1813, out of Portland Stone, but as a busy route, has required much maintenance and strengthening over the years. It was finally trumped by the bypass in 1981 but still remains a heavily used crossing. In 2008 a footbridge was added on its western side.
1823 Kings Mill, Marnhull
Built in 1823 Kings Mill Bridge sits on the confluence of the River Stour and River Lydden. Running from east to west it crosses the water meadows before heading up to Marnhull, the largest village in the county. It is named after the neighbouring mill, now a private home
1834 Hurst Bridge
The Hurst Bridges were part of a scheme involving the diversion of the River Frome. Three bridges were constructed to cross the wide river and associated streams in 1834, They were all paid for by the public and a large donation from James Frampton (1769-1855), the same year he sent the Tolpuddle Martyrs to court. The southern, largest bridge is the original; the northern two were completely rebuilt in the late 20th century.
1841 Colber
A surviving bridge is the Victorian iron structure mounted on stone pillars at Colber was erected in 1841 and is a beautiful Victorian bridge and a popular wild swimming spot in the summer months. On the banks are the remains of the old railway bridge from the Somerset and Dorset Railway.
1850 Bagber
Straddling the boundary of the parishes of Stalbridge and Sturminster Newton, on the old medieval road between the two towns is Bagber Bridge. Built around 1850 it crosses the River Lydden. During the Second World War, the old stone bridge was not strong enough to take the weight of the heavy military traffic and so installed a steel bridge to carry out military operations efficiency including the Dieppe Raid in August 1942 and D-Day n June 1944. See also Bailey Bridge in Christchurch (20th century) and Two Fords Bridge (17th Century).
Mid 1800s Frome Bridge, Woodsford
Frome Bridge, crossing the main flow of the River Frome, dates to the mid-1800s. It carries the small road of Watery Lane from Woodsford in the south west to Tincleton in the north. Stones and flints emerging within the river suggest that before the bridge was constructed a ford was used. Woodsford was once a much larger settlement sitting on the side western side of the bridge but has since disappeared. All that remains are earthworks and the impressive Woodsford Castle. The castle claims to be the oldest inhabited building in Dorset, dating back to the 11th century. In 1660 it was converted into a farmhouse and crowned with the large thatch roof, the largest in the county, Manswood a close second.
Mid 1880s King’s Stag
Built in the mid-19th century, King’s Stag Bridge crosses the River Lydden, the road heading over the causeway from Kings Stag to Hazelbury Bryan.
Mid 1800s Harbour Bridge
The small road bridge over the River Wey dates from the mid-19th century. The River Wey rises at a spring in Upwey and flows for approximately three miles into Radipole Lake. In Roman times, long before any bridges were built, ships were able to sail to the northern shore of Radipole Lake. The Wey continues from Radipole Lake to the Backwater, now known as the inner harbour, then through the main harbour into Weymouth Bay. Its many layers of construction are visible on its eastern side while its name reflects Radipole’s history.
Mid 1800s Seaborough Bridge
The small stone bridge, and the river itself, once marked the boundary between a pocket of Devon and Dorset. The political lines were rearranged in the late 19th century and Seaborough was merged into Dorset along with Thorncombe, Laymore and Holwell. During the medieval period the river here was used as a Ducking Pond, where many wives were ducked into the water for causing a nuisance in the village.
1853 Lady Wimborne
Built in 1853 Lady Wimborne Bridge was used to carry the new railway over the drive to Canford House. The Original timber structure, under the name of Bridge 77, was replaced by Lady Charlotte Guest with this elaborate stone alternative designed by Charles Barry. It is one of the most highly decorated bridges in the country, incorporating the family coat of arms and clearly built to impress. The name was a more recent addition, it being named after Lady Charlotte’s daughter in law, whose title was not bestowed until thirty years later. The last train passed over the bridge on 3 May 1977.
1857 Longford, Thornford
Longford Bridge was built in 1857 to replace the long ford, hence its name. It crosses the River Wiggle as it heads north to meet with the River Yeo, just south of Smith’s Bridge.
1895 Canford Suspension Bridge
Canford Suspension Bridge was built in 1895 over the River Stour, as part of the large Canford Estate, now Canford School. It created an easy, yet necessary link between the two parishes of Wimborne and Canford. However, exposure to the elements eroded the steelwork and it became vulnerable. In 2013 a £180,000 refurbishment was carried out including cleaning and repainting the bridge and erecting new columns, cables, cable hangers and connections, ensuring it for the future.
20th Century
South Bridge, Wareham
On the south side of the Saxon town of Wareham, the defensive wall was replaced by the River Frome’s south gate, approached by a causeway over the meadows. In 1775 a grey bridge of five arches was built, arriving at the busy market square and quay of the town.
With the increasing popularity of the motorcar in the 1920s and 30s Wareham saw a higher number of tourists visiting. The rise in traffic lead to the replacement in 1927 of the old South Bridge with a new wider bridge, more suitable for vehicles. The development also required the widening of South Street and the destruction of a number of small cottages that sat on the river banks.
Moreton
The long bridge across Moreton Ford dates to around the early 20th century. It crosses a shallow but wide section of the River Frome, covering a length of approximately 50m. It has a popular spot in the summer months to splash, play and swim. It is also here a scene was shot for the 1996 film ‘Emma’, staring Gwyneth Paltrow, where Emma’s carriage gets stuck in the river.
Bailey Bridge
The marshes of Christchurch Harbour were used heavily during both the World Wars for training and exercise. Bailey Bridge was a successful prototype, built by the Military Experimental Establishment (MEXE) at nearby Bargates, to be used for movement of troops after D-Day. However, the original bridge was replaced with a copy in 1984. It crosses a small channel called Mother Sillers Channel, after the famous smuggling landlady, Hannah Sillers, of ‘The Ship in Distress’ Pub. The channel was navigable up until the mid-19th century meaning small vessels could continue up its path to arrive right at the back door of the pub. See also Two Fords Bridge (1850) and Bagber (17th Century).
Viaducts
1857 Grimstone
The Grimstone Viaduct was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, on the Dorchester to Yeovil railway line, to cross a small county lane and the Sydling Water just before it meets the River Frome. The railway’s path was influenced by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, MP, whose home was at nearby Frampton Court and didn’t want his rural views interrupted. The foundation stone of was laid on 27th August 1846 by Marcia Maria Sheridan, wife of Brinsley. The line is still in use today.
1858 Wyke
In 1856 the London and South West Railway constructed a line from Salisbury to Yeovil, via Sherborne. It opened on the 2nd May 1859 to Gillingham, its western section slightly delayed by the Buckhorn Western tunnel – fully opening on the 6th May 1860. The route managed to escape the Beeching cuts of the 1960’s and is still in use today.
1885 Corfe Castle
The Corfe castle Viaduct carries the Wareham to Swanage railway over a small country lane and the Corfe River, along the base of the Castle’s northern slopes. This little single gauge railway line was opened in 1885 as a branch line, encouraged by businessmen based in the coastal town. It proved to be popular, helping with the transportation of Purbeck stone and clay, the local businesses and feed the developing tourist trade. However, the increase in car use in the 1950’s led to its downfall, eventually being closed, despite local protest, in January 1972. In the summer of the same year the tracks were removed but by 1976 campaigners, locals and charities had worked together to successfully acquire the station and a section of old track. In 1977 the rails were reappearing and in 1979 the Swanage Railway Company was formed. Gradually the railway has been reclaimed, reaching Corfe Castle in 1995 and connecting back up with the national rail network in 2007. The viaduct is often romantically adorned with the passing Steam train.
1899 Cannington
Just outside of Dorset, but leading only into Dorset, on the Axminster to Lyme Regis branch line, is the Cannington Viaduct. Having missed the surge of railway development, Lyme Regis caught up eventually. With construction starting in 1898, the line was finally opened in 1903. The line covered a 6 mile route to Axminster, where it joined the mainline to London and Exeter, negotiating a number of steep hills and deep valleys on the way. Passenger use declined in the years following the Second World War and only summer weekends remained busy.
Cannington Viaduct is the only significant structure on the branch, crossing the valley of a tributary to the river Lim. It is 185 meters long with ten arches rising 30 meters high. During its construction the first arch became distorted due to a slippage, and was given a brick arch ring, stabilising the structure and preventing it from moving further. Once it was complete, it was the first large scale concrete structure to have been built in the country. On 29th November 1965, the Lyme Regis line was closed, under the Beeching Act. Lyme Regis station was dismantled and rebuilt on the Watercress line at Alresford in Hampshire but the viaduct has been left standing.
Tunnels
Longburton
West Hall in Longburton is an impressively ancient building which dates back to 1205, one of the oldest in Dorset. Today it is a private residence. The house is filled with history from fierce battles to executions occurring in the cellar. Having once been in the Ellis family for over 500 years little has changed, the ‘E’ for Ellis still visible in the iron gate posts. A tunnel exists from the house to the parish church of St James in Longburton along with 5 priest holes; these are specific hiding places camouflaged into the walls. It was these tunnels and priest holes that lead on to its most memorable part in history which took place during the Civil War. In the mid-1600s, Cromwell’s Roundheads were on the search for the disposed monarch, Charles II. West Hall was a Catholic stronghold allied to King, and great suspicion was brought down upon it. Cromwell’s men attempted to gain entry to West Hall as they were convinced that the king himself was hiding within its walls. However, the house was heavily defended, the windows were barred and the doors could be blocked by giant planks which slotted into the stone walls. It’s clear that the house was set up to prevent unwanted entry and despite efforts, the attackers could not gain access. The King could not be found either, possibly escaping through the tunnels, if he was there at all! The only reminder of the attack today are the six deep scars left in its original heavy oak front door by the swinging axes. The house is private and so the tunnels are inaccessible.
Dorchester
Under the feet of shoppers in Dorchester lies a maze of mysterious tunnels. Concentrated around the square of Antelope Walk to High West Street, small narrow channels connect a number of buildings, each with their own separate entrance. In 1685 The Bloody Assizes began in Dorchester, a series of trials, presided over by the notorious Judge Jefferies, to determine the guilt and punishment for those willingly taking part in the Monmouth Rebellion. Jefferies was accused of being overly harsh, rumoured to have sent over 700 people to execution. Understandably this behaviour put his own life at risk and therefore used the tunnels to travel to court, at the old Antelope Hotel, from his lodgings in High West Street. However, the tunnels are surprisingly extensive, not all fully explored in recent times. It is therefore unlikely that the tunnels were purely constructed for Jefferies passage and more likely for earlier, possibly even Roman, activities. The tunnel’s entrances are often found in privately owned shops and are therefore inaccessible, however tours to occasionally occur.
Portland
The Isle of Portland is soaked in mystery and folklore so it is to no surprise that the hard limestone island has been carved inside as much as it has on the surface. Understandably, the extraction of the famous Portland stone resulted in many different methods of transportation, including tunnels through the rock. Defence was another reason with the Victorian citadel, defending the country from any foreign attack and also developing its own tunnels. Nevertheless there are many more, the purposes merging together and mixing with more illegal activities, including smuggling, which has created a maze that is still unknown today.
Railway
1857 Holywell
The first tunnel on the Yeovil to Weymouth railway line is the Evershot tunnel. Evershot, called this despite actually being in Holywell, used to have its own station located on the southern end of the tunnel, but was shut during the Beeching closures in 1866.
1857 Grimstone
It was Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816) of Frampton who managed to persuade Isambard Kingdom Brunel to tunnel the railway between Frampton and Grimstone, again so that it did not destroy his view. Brunel was not a fan of tunnels, as he didn’t want one under Poundbury either, so Brinsley must have been a persuasive character.
1857 Poundbury
On the approach to Dorchester on the Yeovil line is the Poundbury Tunnel. It sits on the northern edge of the Iron Age Hillfort of Poundbury and the earthworks of the Roman aqueduct, raised above the flood plains of the River Frome. The north and eastern sides of the hillfort’s outer defences had already been damaged by the construction of the Roman aqueduct, but in an effort to minimise damage a tunnel was designed. Isambard Kingdom Brunel wanted to put the tracks in a cutting through the site but after local outrage, including from the Victorian poet William Barnes, the more expensive tunnel was chosen.
1857 Bincombe
The railway from Dorchester to Weymouth was introduced in 1857, channelling through the chalk hills in-between, to satisfy the rising demand of tourism to the coast. Bincombe Tunnel was planned to be one long tunnel, but the middle section collapsed and was made into a cutting instead. There have been many reportings, spanning the decades, of a dark figure walking the tracks at the southern entrance. So convinced they were that an investigation was carried out by police in 1991 into a compelling statement by a shocked train driver that his train had, without a doubt, hit a dark man in the tunnel, but no evidence was ever found.
In August 1883 a 24 year old signal man, Sidney Watts, was walking home to Upwey covered in soot, dust, oil and dirt from a hard day’s work. He was new on the job, but still confident enough to follow the tracks through Bincombe Tunnel home. The following morning his body was found, lifeless on the tracks. Sidney’s remains were buried in Upwey churchyard on the 11th August 1883. Maybe Sidney is still just trying to get home!
1860 Sandley
In 1859 the railway opened at Gillingham, linking the little country town to the metropolis of London. However, the line terminated in the town as delays in the development of the tunnel to the west were blocking the route. It wasn’t until a year later that the line was finally connected to Sherborne, Yeovil and Exeter. The line was lucky enough to escape the Beeching cuts but instead was reduced to a single track.
Road
1830 Horn Hill, Beaminster
Beaminster Tunnel, or sometimes known as Horn Hill Tunnel, is a 105m (345ft) road tunnel on the A3066 road between Beaminster and Mosterton. Constructed between 1830 and 1832, it was one of the first road tunnels to be built in Britain and was an exceptional civil engineering achievement of its time.
Originally the turnpike road, which the horse and carts laden with goods had little choice but to take, was notoriously steep and made access the northern parts of Dorset and further afield difficult. The increasingly busy port at West Bay (originally known as Bridport Harbour) meant that the route was scuppering trade and travel to and from the area and a tunnel seemed to be the best answer. One person died in the construction, caused by a landslide, the dangers have been proved in recent times with the sad deaths of two people by the same cause in 2012. A tollhouse was once squeezed between the Buckham Down road and the new Beaminster junction. The tollgates were removed in 1881 and instead the building was lived in by the tunnel’s lamplighter.
1832 Thistle Hill, Lyme Regis
The road tunnel, avoiding the peak of Thistle Hill to the west of Lyme Regis, was finished only six months after the Beaminster Tunnel. It was opened in January 1832 with two London-Exeter coaches passing one another in opposite directions amid much cheer and celebration. The road through the 67m (73 yards) long tunnel became the main coastal route east to west until the late 1980s/early 1990s when the bypass was introduced. A new cutting was excavated a few yards to the south west, trumping the tunnel and no longer requiring the old road alignment. In 2010 the defunct tunnel was converted into a shooting range called The Target Sports Centre, providing a range of shooting experiences for the public and security industry.
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