Footbridge off Mill Lane, Preston
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1135191
- Date first listed:
- 12-Dec-1953
- List Entry Name:
- Footbridge off Mill Lane, Preston
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2003-05-06
- Reference:
- IOE01/10495/20
- Rights:
- © Rev Andrew Salmon. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1135191
- Date first listed:
- 12-Dec-1953
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 30-Jun-2015
- List Entry Name:
- Footbridge off Mill Lane, Preston
- Location Description:
- Footbridge in the garden of Roman Bridge Cottage, Preston Road, Preston, Dorset
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Dorset (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Weymouth
- National Grid Reference:
- SY 70289 83081
Summary
Footbridge off Mill Lane, Preston, possibly dating from the C16, but perhaps later.
Reasons for Designation
The Bridge off Mill Lane, Preston, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historical interest: as a small footbridge, possibly dating from the C16, and forming part of a historic pedestrian route;
* Design interest: for its sturdy limestone construction, with its arch of squared stones, and its cobbled surface.
History
The small footbridge, crossing the River Jordan at Preston, is referred to locally as the ‘Roman Bridge’, but despite the local name, the precise age of the bridge is uncertain, though it is thought the structure may date from the C16. A bridge is marked at the site on several maps of later-C18 date.
The bridge will have offered pedestrians a means to cross the river at the fording point along the road between Weymouth and Osmington. During the mid-C19 a road bridge was constructed approximately 25m to the south, although this has since been superseded by a modern structure.
The bridge now stands in the garden of the early-C18 Roman Bridge Cottage (qv).
Details
Footbridge, possibly dating from the C16, but perhaps later.
MATERIALS: limestone, with a cobbled footway surface.
DESCRIPTION: the bridge has a single segmental a single segmental arch forming a humpback structure with overall dimensions of 2.7m by 4.7m. The arch is constructed of squared stones. The bridge has no parapets or balustrades, although the footway surface is cobbled.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 467302
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
HMSO, , An Inventory of the Historical Monuments of Dorset, (1970), 362
Good, R, The Old Roads of Dorset, (1966), 41, 132
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 23-Jun-2026 at 16:27:51.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.