Fond Brig

Summary

Bridge forming a Gothick landscape folly built in circa 1770 as part of the wider parkland of Boynton Hall.

Reasons for Designation

* Architecture: As a good example of a late C18 Gothick landscape folly.
* Landscape Design: As part of the route between the Grade I Boynton Hall and Carnaby Temple, the Grade II folly at the top of the hill overlooking the Hall.
* Group Value: With the other contemporary Gothick follies built for the Boynton Estate such as the Pigeon House and Dairy (Grade II) and the Garden House (II*).

History

Fond Brig or Fond Bridge was built as a Gothick folly in the 1770s as part of the landscape improvements for Boynton Hall carried out for Sir George Strickland. The bridge was designed to carry the public road, Woldgate, over a private carriage drive within the landscaped park for Boynton Hall, the carriage drive ultimately linking the hall to Carnaby Temple, the folly sited at the top of the hill to the south west. Fond Brig incorporates stonework fragments that are thought to have originated from Boynton Church which was rebuilt in the late 1760s. It is possible that the bridge was designed by John Carr of York, who was employed elsewhere on the estate around this time, although it has also been suggested that the bridge was designed by Sir George himself. The bridge is labelled as Fond Bridge on the 1851 Ordnance Survey map, fond being the local dialect word for foolish.

Details

Bridge, Gothick folly, circa 1770 for Sir George Strickland of Boynton Hall.

MATERIALS: Mainly brick but with limestone blocks and architectural fragments.

PLAN: Carries the east-west Woldgate public road across a north-south former carriage drive.

NORTH ELEVATION: The arch beneath the road is elliptical, formed from a single arch ring mainly consisting of brick stretchers, but including paired headers: the bricks not being gauged. The spandrels are plain and are continuous upwards into the parapet which extends over 2m above the deck of the bridge. This parapet is pierced by a broad window formed by a two centred arch with a stone sill. The parapet is capped by an irregular assortment of stone blocks including one piece of medieval window tracery which is placed centrally, but set at right angles to the wall face. The bridge is flanked by abutment walls in the form of angled wings which irregularly step up to the top of the parapet: these wing walls also being capped with stone blocks. The lower sections of the wing walls each contain a niche in the brickwork, that on the east side having a pointed arch incorporating a section of medieval hood moulding, that on the west side being a larger round-arched alcove

SOUTH ELEVATION: The bridge's arch is flanked by a pair of small niches with flat arches set in the spandrel wall. In a similar fashion to the north elevation, the abutment walls project in the form of angled wings, each containing a further niche: that to the west being a circular oculus, that to the east being a larger, round arched alcove. The parapet to the south elevation is much lower, of a more normal height relative to the deck of the bridge. It is also capped with irregular stone blocks.

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Neave, D, The Buildings of England: Yorkshire - York and the East Riding, (1995), 336

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