Monks Bridge, River Dove

The bridge was formerly used as a slip road with access to and from the southbound carriageway of the A38 road.^[1] It was signposted as a weak bridge with a 3-tonne (3.0-long-ton; 3.3-short-ton) maximum gross vehicle weight.^[7] As of 2014 the bridge was taken out of vehicular use and associated traffic barriers have been removed. It is in the ownership of National Highways.^[4]: 3

A bridge existed at this site by the early 13th century, when it was known as the Egginton Bridge.^[1] An earlier structure may have existed at this site to carry the Roman Icknield Street across the river.^[2] In 1225 the abbot of Burton Abbey, John of Stretton, considered it was the responsibility of the abbey to maintain the bridge and paid for it to be rebuilt.^[1][3] However, in 1256 an inquest found that liability for the repair of the bridge lay instead with the local residents. The wide span of the current arches suggests that they post-date the 1225 rebuilding.^[3]

The structure was known as Monk Bridge by 1394 when permission was granted by The Crown for a chaplain to erect a chapel on the bridge and collect alms for its maintenance. In 1398 a chantry dedicated to Saint Anne was erected, apparently in honour of the recently deceased queen (Anne of Bohemia).^[1]

After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, including abbeys, (1536–41) and abolition of chantries (1545–47) the local community became unambiguously responsible for maintenance.^[1] By the middle of the century the burden fell, at least partly, upon Egginton Parish who, in 1548, sold two church bells to finance repairs.^[1] By the late 17th century the counties of Staffordshire and Derbyshire had accepted joint liability for maintenance and a 2-metre (6.6 ft) widening of the structure, on the north side, was carried out in 1775.^{[1][3][4]: 3}

By the late 19th century, with the rise of motorised transport, Derbyshire County Council became concerned about the risk of a collapse from overloading. On 1 December 1899 John Peake was fined £1 for driving a traction engine over Monk's Bridge, "in spite of a copy of the bye-law—which prohibits the use of the bridge for locomotives—being conspicuously posted on the bridge". In his defence, Peake and his employer, Messrs. Aveling, made the point that a "Pickford's heavy dray would bring three times more weight per inch to bear on the bridge than a 15-ton steam roller", but the court rejected the argument.^[8]

In 1924, as part of a project to realign the A38, Derbyshire County Council requested bids for a 40 ft (12 m) wide ferroconcrete replacement road bridge north of the Monks Bridge, on land purchased from Edward Every for £50 an acre. They accepted a tender of £30,862 from the firm of G.F. Tomlinson.^[9] Construction of the new bridge was complete by 1926.^[10][1] Permission was granted for repairs to be made to the structure in April 2004.^[3]