The Old Bridge at Newton Flotman, South Norfolk: Architectural and Historical Assessment
Author(s): Marcus Jecock
In late 2024, Historic England investigated the old bridge at Newton Flotman as part of a project (HE0213) to upgrade the records of ‘Old County Number’ (OCN) scheduled monuments that lie on or close to National Grid’s planned Norwich to Tilbury Electricity Transmission Route. The bridge, which is a complex, multi-period structure of at least five principal phases starting in the medieval period, carries the former Norwich to Ipswich road (now Old Street) over the River Tas. The medieval bridge was of humpback form, no more than 6 feet wide, and consisted of four stone, ribbed arches. It was later lengthened by the addition of brick causeways at either end; heightened and twice widened downstream (again all in brick) in 1838 and probably 1848; and lengthened once more in 1976 by the addition of an extra arch at the north end. The midline of the Tas here originally formed the boundary between Newton Flotman parish on the west bank and Saxlingham Nethergate parish on the east, but the river’s course has been heavily altered since that boundary was laid out, first by a channel or leat (now infilled) dug to bring water to Saxlingham Thorpe Mill that stands close to the bridge’s southern end and, since 1968, by channel realignment both up- and downstream of the bridge carried out as a flood-alleviation measure. The bridge is dual designated, being also listed at Grade II.
- Report Number:
- 62/2025
- Series:
- Research Report
- Pages:
- 24
- Keywords:
- Medieval Post Medieval Road Bridge
