Medieval Bridges
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| Author | Martin Cook |
|---|---|
| Pages | 64 |
Medieval Bridges by Martin Cook
Author: Martin Cook
Format: Paperback, 15cm x 21cm, 64 pages
Illustrations: B&W
Category: Medieval Architecture
Medieval Bridges by M. Cook is an informative and accessible guide to the construction, development and historical significance of bridges in medieval Britain. This 64-page softback book (15cm x 21cm) features black-and-white illustrations and maps that chart the evolution of bridges across the centuries, identifying their origins and highlighting earlier Roman, Saxon and Norman influences where known.
The book explores the cultural, historical and economic importance of river crossings, revealing how bridges shaped travel, trade, settlement patterns and community life. From early engineering techniques and medieval masonry to the social role of bridges and their survival into the modern era, this guide provides valuable insight into one of the most essential yet often overlooked elements of Britain’s medieval landscape.
A helpful final section lists bridges to visit, making this an excellent companion for historians, archaeologists, detectorists, and anyone interested in Britain’s built heritage.
Medieval Bridges
Bridges feature prominently in literature, mythology and poetry. In the early days of civilisation and commerce a river crossing was often a recognised place of exchange and trade. Bridges were places on which roads converged or were points of contact between communities or areas. Inns and other facilities for travellers would spring up at the head of a bridge, and many present-day towns, villages and public houses owe their existence, and often their name, to a nearby bridge.
Such is the prominence of bridges in our consciousness that it is a surprise to realise that they have not always been a common part of the English landscape. This book examines the Roman, Saxon and Norman origins of the medieval bridge, including its broader national and international context, and considers the engineering techniques and social background that led to its development during the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. A final chapter considers the survival of medieval bridges into the twentieth century.
About the author
Martin Cook was born and brought up in Essex. After leaving school in 1974, he spent four years working in civil engineering before going first to college and then to Reading University, where he studied archaeology. In 1989 he took up a post with Bedfordshire County Council recording the county’s historic bridges. He currently works for the Archaeological Service of Worcestershire County Council.