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Monument details

HER Number:TQ 75 SW 37
Type of record:Listed Building
Name:TESTON BRIDGE

Summary

Teston Bridge is a scheduled Ancient Monument and a Listed building Grade I. It is one of a series of fine Medieval bridges across the river Medway. The south eastern end of the bridge is in the West Farleigh parish.

The bridge has a large pointed centre arch with a smaller arch each side of it. These were built in the 15th century or earlier. The rest were constructed in the early 19th century.

It is a narrow bridge still used by vehicular traffic.

Summary from record TQ 75 SW 171:

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1300 to 1832


Grid Reference:TQ 7088 5326
Map Sheet:TQ75SW
Parish:TESTON, MAIDSTONE, KENT
WEST FARLEIGH, MAIDSTONE, KENT

Monument Types

  • BRIDGE (Medieval to Modern - 1300 AD to 2050 AD)
Protected Status:Scheduled Monument 1005185: Teston Bridge, over the Medway; Listed Building (I) 1262983: TESTON BRIDGE

Full description

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(TQ 70895327) Teston Bridge (NAT) (1) Teston Bridge. Grade I. The south east half is in West Farleigh Parish. Scheduled as an Ancient Monument. This is one of a series of very fine medieval bridges across the River Medway. The 3 centre arches are C15 or earlier. The remainder was rebuilt in the early C19. Stone. Large pointed arch in the centre with a small arch on each side of it. (2) TQ 709532. Teston Bridge, Teston, Kent. Scheduled 29. (3) Teston Bridge is well preserved and used by vehicular traffic. (4) Teston Bridge. Grade I. Partly in West Farleigh Civil Parish. Road Bridge. C14 or C15. [For full description see list]. (5) Additional bibliography. (6,7)

From the National Heritage List for England:

List entry Summary
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Name: Teston Bridge, over the Medway

List entry Number: 1005185

Location


The monument may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County District District Type Parish
Kent Maidstone District Authority Teston
Kent Maidstone District Authority West Farleigh

National Park: Not applicable to this List entry.

Grade: Not applicable to this List entry.

Date first scheduled: 05-Dec-1928

Date of most recent amendment: Not applicable to this List entry.

Legacy System Information
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System: RSM - OCN

UID: KE 29

Asset Groupings
This list entry does not comprise part of an Asset Grouping. Asset Groupings are not part of the official record but are added later for information.

List entry Description
Summary of Monument
Teston Bridge, 318m north of Mill House.

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, Teston Bridge is a well preserved medieval multi-span bridge. It is a good example of its type and will retain evidence of medieval methods of construction. Deposits buried underneath the bridge will preserve artefactual, ecofactual and environmental evidence, providing information on 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 south-east of Teston.

The bridge is constructed of coursed ragstone and includes six round-headed arches. There are three spanning the river, the central arch of which is taller, two smaller arches to the west and one even smaller arch to the east. The central arch is double chamfered but the rest are single chamfered. There are six pointed cutwaters on the upstream (south) side and four on the downstream (north) side. These rise up to the level of the parapet, where they form pedestrian refuges.

Teston Bridge dates to about the 15th century and is one of a series of medieval bridges across the River Medway. The three outer arches were rebuilt in the early 19th century. The parapet has ashlar coping, and has possibly been renewed at a later date. Teston Bridge is Grade I listed.(9)

Description from record TQ 75 SW 171:
The following text is from the original listed building designation:

TQ 75 SW TESTON 2/239 Teston Bridge I Partly in West Farleigh Civil Parish. Road bridge. C14 or C15. Coursed ragstone with ashlar coping to parapet. Six round-headed arches; 3 spanning river, that to centre taller, 2 slightly smaller to west and one smaller still and at an angle, to east. Double hollow chamfer to central arch, single hollow chamfer to rest, and ashlared soffits. 6 cutwaters on hollow-chamfered stone plinths to south (upstream side) and 4 to north, all carried up into parapet to form refuges. Parapet possibly renewed at a later date. 3 outer arches rebuilt in early C19 (Jervoise, The Ancient Bridges of the South of England, 1930). Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Listing NGR: TQ7089352581 (10)


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

<2> MHLG (Maidstone RD) 2225/11/A October 1960 69 (OS Card Reference). SKE47058.

<3> DOE(IAM)AMs Eng 2 1978 115 (OS Card Reference). SKE41458.

<4> F1 MJF 19.03.86 (OS Card Reference). SKE43030.

<5> DOE(HHR) District of Maidstone Kent 26.2.87 131 (OS Card Reference). SKE41149.

<6> DOE(IAM) record form 2.11.86 (OS Card Reference). SKE41440.

<7> Bldgs of Eng-West Kent & the Weald 1980 567-568 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE38162.

<8> Field report for monument TQ 75 SW 37 - March, 1986 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4024.

<9> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

<10> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
<1>OS Card Reference: OS 1:10000 1976.
<2>OS Card Reference: MHLG (Maidstone RD) 2225/11/A October 1960 69.
<3>OS Card Reference: DOE(IAM)AMs Eng 2 1978 115.
<4>OS Card Reference: F1 MJF 19.03.86.
<5>OS Card Reference: DOE(HHR) District of Maidstone Kent 26.2.87 131.
<6>OS Card Reference: DOE(IAM) record form 2.11.86.
<7>OS Card Reference: Bldgs of Eng-West Kent & the Weald 1980 567-568 (J Newman).
<8>Bibliographic reference: Field report for monument TQ 75 SW 37 - March, 1986.
<9>XYIndex: Historic England. National Heritage List for England. [Mapped feature: #21225 Bridge, ]
<10>Map: English Heritage. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest.