Castlefacts³

Upper Arley Bridge

Has been described as a Questionable Fortified Bridge

There are no visible remains

Name	Upper Arley Bridge
Alternative Names
Historic Country	Worcestershire
Modern Authority	Worcestershire
1974 Authority	Hereford and Worcester
Civil Parish	Upper Arley

Medieval bargate and bridge over the River Severn depicted on Speed's map of circa 1610. (PastScape)

Gatehouse Comments

PastScape cites correspondence from L.F. Chitty as the source for this reference. Gatehouse can not see this feature of the copies of Speed's map available online and while that map does portray some crossing points (? bridges) it is not of a resolution or form to suggest the portrayal of a bargate. PastScape locates this at grid reference SO754809. The obvious crossing point is at SO765801, in Upper Arley village but, while there is a modern footbridge, the crossing point here was a ferry, not a bridge. No mention is made of a bridge in the VCH parish history of Upper Arley but the ferry is recorded as mentioned in the C14 and in 1602.At the scale of most of these early maps it is entirely possible the bridge at Bewdley, 5km south, is what is portrayed. Otherwise presumably what Lily Chitty was describing, based on a different early map (? that of Christopher Saxton) was a simple bar gate controlling access to the ferry of Upper Ardley. However, until it is certain as to what Chitty was referring too, the record can not be entirely dismissed.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)

879492

County Historic Environment Record

www.worcestershire.gov.uk/info/20019/archive_and_archaeology/249/accessing_archaeological_and_historic_environment_information

OS Map Grid Reference	SO765801
Latitude	52.4188919067383
Longitude	-2.34680008888245
Eastings	376500
Northings	280100