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Monument details

Summary

East Farleigh Bridge is a 14th century road bridge of Kentish ragstone spanning the River Medway between Barming to the north and East Farleigh to the south. It was originally built with four large, pointed arches but a smaller arch was added later, spanning land. It is scheduled as an Ancient Monument and considered to be the finest bridge in Southern England. It is a perfect example of medieval design and workmanship.

It underwent repair in 1843 and was refurbished in the early 21st century.

Summary from record TQ 75 SW 135:

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1300 to 1399

Monument Types

• BRIDGE (Medieval to Modern - 1300 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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[TQ 73475354] Bridge [NR] (1) "East Farleigh Bridge, certainly the finest bridge in the South of England, is a perfect example of medieval design and workmanship, and dates possibly from the fourteenth century." (2) Scheduled. (3) Extant: good condition. GP AO/64/115/2 and 3. (4) East Farleigh Bridge. Grade I. The north half is in Barming Parish. Scheduled as an Ancient Monument. One of the series of fine medieval stone bridges along the River Medway. This bridge is probably the finest medieval bridge in the south of England. Probably 14th century. Four large pointed arches, and one smaller pointed arch spanning land added later at the north end. [For full description see list]. (5) (TQ 73495354) East Farleigh Bridge (NR) (6) East Farleigh (bridge) over the Medway. Fourteenth or fifteenth century (repaired 1843). Kentish ragstone. Five pointed arches, four with narrow chamfered ribs. Bulky cutwaters on both sides, sloped at the top. (7) East Farleigh Bridge. Grade I. Partly in Barming Civil Parish. Road bridge. Probably C14. [For full description see list]. (8) Additional bibliography. (9 - 11).

Photographs taken during refurbishment works (12) and paperwork associated with this (13).

Description from record TQ 75 SW 135:
The following text is from the original listed building designation:
STATION ROAD TQ 75 SW EAST FARLEIGH 2/1 East Farleigh Bridge GV I Partly in Barming Civil Parish. Road bridge. Probably C14. Roughly coursed ragstone with stone coping. Approached at an angle from the south- west, and slightly cambered towards centre. Water spanned by 4 pointed arches (2 to centre higher), each with doubly hollow-chamfered stone rib to each outer side and 2 plain- chamfered ribs to soffit. Arches alternate with full-height cutwaters on both sides of bridge. Blind, chamfered skew arch to angle between bridge and retaining wall of south approach road. South-west retaining wall about 43 metres long, increasing in height, to carry road across low ground before bridge. Low later arch with stone voussoirs spanning tow path on north bank. One of a series of medieval stone bridges across river Medway, and possibly one of the finest medieval bridges in the south of England. Scheduled Ancient Monument. Listing NGR: TQ7349553479

From Register of Scheduled Monuments:

Bridge has 5 arches. On S abutment there is a sixth blind arch at angle of 45 degrees to bridge which appears to serve as buttress. Interior of other arches are ribbed. (14)



The bridge was the point at which Fairfax's army crossed the Medway in the early stages of the Battle of Maidstone, 1st June 1648. (15)

From the National Heritage List for England:

List entry Description
Summary of Monument
East Farleigh Bridge, 62m north-west of Lock Cottage.

Reasons for Designation
Multi-span bridges are structures of two or more arches supported on piers. They were constructed throughout the medieval period for the use of pedestrians and packhorse or vehicular traffic, crossing rivers or streams, often replacing or supplementing earlier fords. During the early medieval period timber was used, but from the 12th century stone (and later brick) bridges became more common, with the piers sometimes supported by a timber raft.

Most stone or brick bridges were constructed with pointed arches, although semicircular and segmental examples are also known. A common medieval feature is the presence of stone ashlar ribs underneath the arch. The bridge abutments and revetting of the river banks also form part of the bridge. Where medieval bridges have been altered in later centuries, original features are sometimes concealed behind later stonework, including remains of earlier timber bridges. The roadway was often originally cobbled or gravelled. The building and maintenance of bridges was frequently carried out by the church and by guilds, although landowners were also required to maintain bridges. From the mid-13th century the right to collect tolls, known as pontage, was granted to many bridges, usually for repairs; for this purpose many urban bridges had houses or chapels on them, and some were fortified with a defensive gateway.

Medieval multi-span bridges must have been numerous throughout England, but most have been rebuilt or replaced and less than 200 examples are now known to survive. As a rare monument type largely unaltered, surviving examples and examples that retain significant medieval and post-medieval fabric are considered to be of national importance.

Despite later alterations and repair work, East Farleigh Bridge is a well preserved medieval multi-span bridge. It is one of the finest examples of its type in southern England and will retain significant evidence of medieval bridge design and workmanship. Deposits buried underneath the bridge will preserve valuable artefactual, ecofactual and environmental evidence, providing evidence for the human and natural history of the site prior to the construction of the bridge.

History
See Details.

Details
This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 17 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 a medieval multi-span bridge situated over the River Medway at East Farleigh.

The bridge is constructed of Kentish ragstone with five pointed arches including four main arches spanning the river. The main arches have chamfered ribs. On the north bank is a smaller arch with stone voussoirs; a later addition which spans the tow path. There is also a blind arch spanning the angle between the bridge and retaining wall on the south approach and acting as a buttress supporting the bridge at this end. Between the arches are pointed cutwaters rising to the level of the stone parapet.

East Farleigh Bridge dates to about the fourteenth century and underwent repair in 1843. It is one of a series of well preserved medieval bridges acrioss the River Medway.

East Farleigh Bridge is Grade I listed. (16)

<1> OS 6" 1961 (OS Card Reference). SKE48369.

<2> Anc Bridges of S England 1930 36-7 photo (E Jervoise) (OS Card Reference). SKE33035.

<3> AM England and Wales 1961 60 (OS Card Reference). SKE33024.

<4> F1 CFW 11-FEB-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE42528.

<5> MHLG Maidstone RD Kent Oct 1960 17 (OS Card Reference). SKE47138.

<6> OS 1:10000 1976 (OS Card Reference). SKE48161.

<7> Nat Trust Book of Bridges 1984 15 photo (J M Richards) (OS Card Reference). SKE47508.

<8> DOE (HHR) Dist of Maidstone Kent 26 February 1987 26 (OS Card Reference). SKE40301.

<9> Bldgs of Eng West Kent and the Weald 1980 264 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE38054.

<10> Field report for monument TQ 75 SW 25 - February, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4014.

<11> EAST FARLEIGH BRIDGE FROM NORTH WEST. (Photograph). SKE1415.

<12> Kent Highway Services, 2005, Bridge Refurbishment Condition Photographs: East Farleigh (Unpublished document). SKE12699.

<13> Various, 2005, Associated Report for Refurbishment Works on East Farleigh Bridge (Unpublished document). SKE12700.

<14> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

<15> Des Mullaney, 2011, The Road to Farleigh Bridge, 1st of June 1648 (The initial phase of the Battle of Maidstone): An Archaeological Investigation (Unpublished document). SKE17030.

<16> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

Sources and further reading