Gunnislake Newbridge or New Bridge is a large stone arch bridge in western England, crossing the River Tamar between Gunnislake, Cornwall and Gulworthy, Devon.[1] The bridge is located in a narrow river valley with woodland and high ground on either side.[2][3]
History
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It was commissioned by local landowner Piers Edgecumbe, built around 1520, and largely rebuilt around 1773.[4][5][6] It has six arches.[1][2]
The name "Newbridge" may refer to it being built later than two medieval bridges upriver which are slightly less than a century older, Horsebridge and Greystone Bridge.[7] Engineering historian Bill Harvey interprets the name as referring to the current structure having replaced an earlier one on the same site apart from one surviving pointed arch;[8][9] Thomas interprets this arch (the first starting from the Devon bank) as the one remaining from Edgecumbe's original bridge, with the rest rebuilt in 1773.[4]
The Battle of Gunnislake New Bridge took place at the bridge in 1644.[10][11] It is currently grade I listed.[12] A nineteenth-century toll house is located on the Devon side and is listed grade II separately.[4][13]
Current use
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The bridge continues to be used for road traffic and currently carries the A390 road.[14][15][16][17] The crossing was formerly a relatively major route for road traffic into Cornwall bypassing Plymouth, as it was the lowest road bridge across the Tamar until the Tamar Bridge opened in the 1960s.[6][18][19][20][21] Steel plates were added to the upstream cutwaters to shield from debris in 2024.[22]
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References
edit- 1 2 Beacham, Peter; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2014). The Buildings of England: Cornwall. Yale University Press. p. 225. ISBN 978-0-300-12668-6.
- 1 2 "Welcome to Gunnislake" (PDF). Tamar Valley National Landscape. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "The Tamar Valley & Hingston Down". Tamar Valley National Landscape. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 Thomas, D. L. B (1992). "The Chronology of Devon Bridges". Transactions of the Devonshire Association. Devonshire Association.
- ↑ "Historic Gunnislake Newbridge shuts for repairs after hole found". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- 1 2 "New Br[idge] Gunnislake Bridges Heritage-Statement nosings" (PDF). Planning Alerts. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "Solid connections to medieval England". Transforming Cities. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ Harvey, Bill. "New Bridge, Gunnislake". Bill Harvey Associates.
- ↑ "Obituary: Bill Harvey". Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ Discovering the River Tamar, Chapter 7
- ↑ Royal Institution of Cornwall English Civil War and Captain Southcote pg 32
- ↑ Historic England. "New Bridge (Grade I) (1140201)". National Heritage List for England.
- ↑ Historic England. "The Old Toll House (Grade II) (1105739)". National Heritage List for England.
- ↑ "Emergency closure of Gunnislake Newbridge". Devon County Council. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "Historic Gunnislake Newbridge shuts for repairs after hole found". BBC News. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "Emergency closure of Gunnislake Newbridge". The Devon Daily. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ Otter, R. A. (1994). Southern England: Civil Engineering Heritage. Thomas Telford. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-727-71971-3.
- ↑ "River Tamar Bridge". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 29 April 1930. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
- ↑ "Two listed bridges given added protection to guard against repeat of storm damage". Devon County Council. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "Minutes of a meeting of the Calstock Parish Council, Planning Committee" (PDF). Calstock Parish Council. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ Otter, R. A. (1994). Southern England: Civil Engineering Heritage. Thomas Telford. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-727-71971-3.
- ↑ "Bridges get steel protection against flood damage". BBC News. Retrieved 8 April 2026.