Tone Bridge (Taunton)

The old Tone Bridge in Taunton seems to go by the name of 'The Bridge' as much as Tone Bridge these days, although it also called North Bridge. The street which crosses it is simply called The Bridge, which may go some way to explain this odd phenmoena! The bridge was built in 1895 to replace an old stone bridge of unknown date. However, Taunton's importance is largely based on the safe crossing point of the River Tone, suggesting that a bridge of some sort probably stood in the early Middle Ages, if not before.

Today, the bridge carries the A3027 across the river, in the heart of Taunton's Shopping centre, with the Debenhams Department Store sitting on the southern side of the bridge. Originally, however, this road was part of the A358, before the Obridge Viaduct was opened.

During very heavy rain a few years ago, the river under the bridge nearly overflowed, which would have flooded Taunton town centre. It is believed that had this happened, the bridge would have been washed away.