Slater's Bridge
Packhorse bridge which crosses the River Brathay in Cumbria, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Slater's Bridge is a traditional packhorse bridge in Little Langdale in the English Lake District, standing at National Grid Reference NY3120502996.[1]
Slater's Bridge | |
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| Coordinates | 54.41783°N 3.06165°W |
| Crosses | River Brathay |
| Locale | Little Langdale, Cumbria |
| Statistics | |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | Slater's Bridge |
| Designated | 12 January 1967 |
| Reference no. | 1245295[1] |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Slater's Bridge | |
History and construction
The bridge dates back to the 17th century, and became a listed building in 1967.[1] Built of slate, it consists of a 15-foot (4.6 m) segmental arch and a flatter span built of slabs, and incorporates a natural boulder in midstream. The bridge is thought to have been created by miners working in the nearby Tilberthwaite Fells.[2]
Already in the 19th century, Alexander Craig Gibson called it "an exquisite and unique specimen of a style of bridge all but extinct";[3] a century later, Alfred Wainwright called it "the most picturesque footbridge in Lakeland, a slender arch constructed of slate from the quarries and built to give the quarrymen a shorter access from their homes".[4]
Literary associations
The bridge was acclaimed in a 20th-century poem as "...this/exercise in hanging circularity, toppling stress./The rough slate wedges carry their own likeness/on the belly of each, with the grass springing sidewise/at the joins. The bare arch links two valley sides/as though by a handclasp across the sky's reflection".[5]
