Ansford Bridge
Ansford Bridge | |||
Location Map ( geo) | |||
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Location | |||
Castle Cary Station | |||
County | |||
Somerset | |||
Highway Authority | |||
Somerset | |||
Opening Date | |||
c1700, 1823 | |||
On road(s) | |||
A371 | |||
Crossings related to the A371 | |||
Ansford Bridge carries the A371 across the River Brue just to the north of Castle Cary Station. It is a single stone arch span, dating back to 1823, carrying the S2 A371. The western side of the bridge is almost completely hidden by vegetation during the summer months, but the eastern side is clearer and curiously has the word 'county' engraved on a stone on the left of the arch, without any sign of any other words. Whether or not it was intended to have Somerset over the arch and Council to the right, there is no sign of any other words now! Records suggest that the bridge is also dated on the wingwalls, although these were hidden by vegetation on a recent visit.
The bridge replaced an older structure, built c1700, after an even older structure fell in 1696. This was sited a little downstream of the current bridge, but was deemed too narrow for the traffic on the Turnpike Road. The current bridge was paid for jointly by the turnpike trust and county council. Whilst the site of these older bridges is now uncertain, it can be conjectured that the road (prior to the construction of the railway as well) took a more direct route from the garage to the north of the current bridge to the junction of what is now the A371 and B3152. Field boundaries to the south of the railway seem to support this to some extent.
Ansford Bridge | ||||
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