Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade II listed building. Main construction periods 1500 to 1999. Stone bridge, probably 16th century

Monument Types

• BRIDGE (Medieval to Modern - 1500 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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The following text is from the original listed building designation:
TQ 65 SW PLAXTOL ROUGHWAY LANE 4/84 20.9.76 Bridge over the River Bourne at Roughways
II
Packhorse bridge. Probably C16, widened on south by 3 ft in the C18. Built of Kentish ragstone ashlar with galletting. Two horse-shoe shaped arches with central cutwaters. Modern wooden rails.
Listing NGR: TQ6187653001

Description from record TQ 65 SW 27:
TQ 616527 (shown on plan at TQ 61575269). Roughway Bridge is a traditional Kent bridge of two bays with no cutwaters. It is of fine ashlar construction with originally a timber rail braced diagonally from a crossbeam. The rail is now mostly tubular steel. (1)
TQ 65 SW PLAXTOL ROUGHWAY LANE 4/84 20.9.76 Bridge over the River Bourne at Roughways II Packhorse bridge. Probably C16, widened on south by 3 ft in the C18. Built of Kentish ragstone ashlar with galletting. Two horse-shoe shaped arches with central cutwaters. Modern wooden rails. Not mentioned in The Buildings of England. (3) Not mentioned in Ancient Bridges. (4) Not mentioned in British Bridges. (5)

From the National Heritage List for England:

List entry Description
Summary of Monument
Roughway Bridge 58m WNW of Parchal Place.



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, Roughway Bridge survives well. The bridge will retain significant evidence of 16th century construction and masonry techniques.

History
See Details.

Details
This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 18 March 2015. This 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 16th century multi-span bridge situated over the River Bourne south-west of Roughway.

The bridge has two horse-shoe shaped arches and is built of Kentish ragstone ashlar but is reinforced with concrete. It is thought to have been built in the 16th century for the crossing of packhorses but was widened on the south side by about 0.9m in the 17th or 18th century to allow carts to cross. The bridge was repaired in the later 20th century and now has a modern wooden rail on each side of Roughway Lane. (6-7)

<1> DOE (IAM) AM Rec Form 11 8 77 (OS Card Reference). SKE40678.

<2> DOE (HHR) Dist of Tonbridge & Malling 1984 48 (OS Card Reference). SKE40372.

<3> The Buildings of Eng W Kent & the Weald 1980 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE50163.

<4> The Ancient Bridges of the South of England 1930 (E Jervoise) (OS Card Reference). SKE49926.

<5> British Bridges 1933 (SM Johnson & CW Scott Giles) (OS Card Reference). SKE38390.

<6> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

<7> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading