MSO9331 - Barle Bridge, Dulverton (Building)

Barle Bridge is located at SS 9120 2782 (NAT). [1] Barle Bridge has five pointed arches with double arch-rings, and has been widened by about 5 feet on the upstream side, possibly in 1819. A carved stone on the outside of this parapet records that the bridge was repaired in 1624 and 1819. [2] Barle Bridge is a stone bridge of mediaeval origin, much restored. Some restoration is recent, following 1952 flood damage. There are five segmental pointed arches, cutwater buttresses with weather capping between the arches each side. Some of the weather capping has been restored. The bridge has stone parapets with copings. [3] Additional Bibliography. [4] SS 912278. Barle Bridge. Scheduled, Somerser 267. [5] The road bridge over the River Barle is medieval in origin. It was repaired in 1624, subsequently widened in 1819 by John Stone, and repaired in 1866 and 1952-3 after flood damage. The bridge is constructed with local stone, random rubble, rubble voussoirs, ashlar string course, flat coping to parapet and 3 tier stepped coping to the buttresses. The bridge has a five arch span with pointed cutwater buttresses between 4-centred arch openings. There is said to be a tablet on the exterior of the parapet inscribed "This bridge repaired in the year of Our Lord God 1624" and "John Stone 1819". The bridge is a Scheduled Monument (Somerset County No 267). [6, 7] Barle Bridge is an impressive stone bridge with arches not markedly pointed. There are four cutwaters on both sides. The pointing on the tow end is somewhat old. The stone coping is comparatively new. The steeped cutwaters on the north side have been repaired recently. [9] The bridge is included in the Dulverton Conservation Area, which was created in December 1994. [13] The Old Causeway and Ford used to cross the river before the bridge was widened in the early 1800s. [14] The Scheduled Monument Condition Assessment of 2009 gave the site a survival score of 7. [16] The building was visited in February 2012 as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor's Listed Buildings 2012-13. It received a BAR score of 4A. [17] Will of John Sydenham 1558 of Combe Dulverton said to give six shillings and eight pence to the maintenance of the bridge at Dulverton. [18] The site was surveyed in July 2015 as part of the 2015 Exmoor Scheduled Monument Condition Assessment. It was given a survival score of 7. [19] Access from scaffolding during repairs to the bridge in July 2013 enabled photographs of the two date stones to be taken. One reads "Dulverton Bridge (was re?) paired un ye yeAre oF ovr (Lo?)rd GOD 1684" the remaining section of inscription could not be deciphered although a number of individual letters are visible. It may mention a donor as "OF SOM" can be made out. The other insciption reads "Bge Widned 1819 by John Stone" (bridge widened 1819). [20] A photograph of the bridge was taken from the south in the early 20th Century. [21] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [22] The building is mentioned in the 2019 Conservation Area Appraisal for Dulverton. [23] The building is mentioned in a publication on the industrial archaeology of Somerset. [24]