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Respryn Bridge
Lanhydrock |
North Cornwall
NGR: SX 09936 63491 |
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Respryn Bridge is a five arched mediæval bridge spanning the River Fowey in the parish of Lanhydrock.
The place-name indicates a ford here before the bridge was built,
carrying an ancient trackway between Bodmin and Looe: traces of
which have been identified as a hollow way running north-westwards
through Cutmadoc and Colgear Plantation in Lanhydrock Park. The
first part of the name Respryn contains the Cornish place-name
element rid meaning ‘ford’.
Documentary evidence indicates a chapel of St Martin on the St
Winnow side of the river in the 12th century. This predated the
bridge and served the fording point.
By 1300, however, there was a bridge here. The Cornish historian
Henderson notes that in that year a jury found that the fishing and
other rights in the river Fowey ‘from St Saviour’s Port [Polruan] at
the haven mouth to the Bridge of Reprenne so long as two oxen yoked
together could advance there’ belonged to the Lords of Restormel
Castle.
The bridge is of granite and stone rubble construction. The central
pointed arch dates to the fifteenth century and probably represents
part of the original construction which replaced the earlier
thirteenth century bridge. The other arches are round and the two on
the west are relatively modern. There are low parapets with granite
coping and triangular stone cutwaters with refuges.
The bridge played an important part in the Civil War, lying as it
did between the two major estates of Lanhydrock and Boconnoc, one
parliamentarian hands and the other royalist. King Charles rode over
the bridge in 1644, on his way from Boconnoc to Lanhydrock, and
after the war, the avenue of trees leading up to Lanhydrock House
from Respryn Bridge was planted by Lord Robartes to celebrate his
party's victory.
With the advent of the railway in the nineteenth century, a small
private halt was built for the Lanhydrock estate which was probably
situated south-east of the bridge along a small access road.
Although there is no trace of this today, the later scenic carriage
drive that was built to take passengers to the new station at Bodmin
Parkway can still be followed to some extent where it runs through
the woods north of the railway line before cutting south across the
river to the station. Originally the drive continued east to meet
the main Bodmin road but was re-routed when the Bodmin branch line
was introduced. The carriageway is currently situated within
National Trust land. The eighteenth century hamlet of Respryn which
was situated at the crossroads to the north-west of Respryn Bridge
was demolished when the carriageway was introduced.
Sources
Thomas, N, 1994. An Archaeological Assessment of the National Trust
Estate at Lanydrock, Cornwall. Historic Environment Service,
Cornwall County Council. |
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