Description and History of Site:-

The medieval Ouse Bridge was crowded with buildings. A flood in the winter of 1564 caused the central arches to collapse. Twelve houses fell into the river and 12 people drowned.
The new bridge, opened in 1566, had five arches, with the central one 81 feet wide and more than 17 feet high. The bridge had a chapel, St William's, on the south side of the river.
The bridge was demolished in 1810 and the current masonry bridge with three elliptical arches was completed in 1821. At first tolls were charged for crossing the bridge in order to recoup some of the building cost.

Further Reading and References:-

Jervoise, E. The ancient bridges of the north of England. Architectural Press, 1931; reprinted by E. P. Publishing, 1973, p82.
YAHS - Hatcher Card Index. Research funded by the Yorkshire Arts Association 1972.
Hatcher, J. The industrial architecture of Yorkshire. Phillimore, 1985.

Help us improve this entry

The compilers welcome corrections or additional information on all sites.
Any information provided will be verified before appearing on the web site.

Email comments

Key Words :- bridge road river

Address :- Bridge Street, York, North Yorkshire, YO1 6WD
Grid Ref :- SE 60211 51652
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.957462 , Long -1.083881
Local Authority :- York City Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - North Riding
Site Status :- Listed - Grade II
Historic England List No - 1259354,
Site Condition :- Operational site, in use for original purpose
Site Dates :- 1821 -
Contributor :- Daniel Balmforth - 4 July 2015

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © Daniel Balmforth