Summary

Newenden Bridge, 40m WNW of Riverside Cottage.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 18 December 2014. The record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes an early 18th century multi-span stone bridge situated over the River Rother, south of Newenden. It also known as Rother Bridge and is on the county boundary of East Sussex and Kent.

The bridge is constructed of sandstone with three round-headed arches in the medieval tradition. It has pointed cutwaters between the arches on the upstream side; their lower portions renewed in white brick, and shouldered buttresses on the downstream side. It was built, according to an inscription on the parapet, by the counties of Kent and Sussex in 1706.

The parapet stonework was repaired in the late 20th century.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Multi-span bridges are structures of two or more arches supported on piers. They were constructed for the use of pedestrians and packhorse or vehicular traffic, crossing rivers or streams, often replacing or supplementing earlier fords. Stone or brick bridges constructed from the medieval period onwards were built with pointed, semicircular or segmental arches.

The bridge abutments and revetting of the river banks also form part of the bridge. The theory and practice of masonry construction for bridges reached a high point in the 18th century. After this time increasing demand led to quicker builds with the adoption of iron bridges and later metal truss and suspension bridges.

Despite some limited repair work and alteration, Newenden Bridge is a well preserved example of an early 18th century multi-span stone bridge built in the medieval tradition.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
NMR TQ82NW9. PastScape 417515. LBS 180288 and 411893.

Source: Historic England