Aldwark Bridge

{{Short description|Bridge in North Yorkshire, England}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}

{{Use British English|date=January 2024}}

File:Aldwark Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 1586698.jpg

Aldwark Bridge is a historic bridge over the River Ure in North Yorkshire, in England.

Until the mid-18th century, a ferry connected the two banks of the river at Aldwark. The ferryman in 1768 was John Thomson, and that year, he rode to London to seek permission to construct a bridge, in exchange for collecting tolls. This was granted, and the bridge opened in 1772. It originally had brick piers and a wooden deck.{{cite news |last1=Lloyd |first1=Chris |title=History behind the Union Chain Bridge and the Aldwark private bridge |url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/23473214.history-behind-union-chain-bridge-aldwark-private-bridge/ |access-date=9 January 2024 |work=The Northern Echo |date=23 April 2023}} In 1848, it was described as "a substantial wooden structure, which crosses the river and its banks by twenty-seven arches and culverts".{{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=S. |title=A Topographical Dictionary of England |date=1848 |location=London |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/england/pp31-34 |access-date=9 January 2024}} A local legend claims that it was once damaged by an iceberg. In 1880, the central section of the bridge was destroyed during a flood, and the bridge was largely rebuilt, using an iron frame.

File:Aldwark Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 1586715.jpg

By 1962, the bridge was owned by Yorkshire Farmers Ltd. The company offered to sell it to the North Riding of Yorkshire County Council, but the council was uninterested, and it remained in private hands. It remains a toll bridge, thought to be the last one wholly in Yorkshire since the fee for crossing Selby toll bridge was abolished in 1991.

The toll can only be increased by permission of Parliament; it was doubled to one penny in 1980, while in 2005, it rose from 15p to 40p. The bridge was purchased by Alex Bell in 2021.{{cite web |date=13 January 2025 |title=Aldwark Bridge: Rise in tolls could 'force kids out of school' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg5y72nl152o |access-date=13 January 2025 |website=BBC News }} In 2022, permission was refused to increase the toll to 80p. In January 2025, Bell announced his intention to raise the toll from 40p to £1, with a future hike to £1.40 scheduled for 2035. The increase was criticised by local teachers who feared the increased cost would prevent children living on one side of the bridge from attending school on the other side. A public enquiry into the fee increase will be held in Easingwold in March 2025.

File:Aldwark Bridge from the western end - geograph.org.uk - 2297879.jpg

The bridge was grade II listed in 1988.{{NHLE |desc=Aldwark Bridge |num=1150281 |access-date=9 January 2024}} As of 1997, the bridge was used by 700,000 vehicles a year.

It closed in April 2023 for maintenance.{{cite news |last1=Greenwood |first1=Darren |title=Aldwark Toll Bridge now due to re-open in "early 2024" |url=https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/23981448.aldwark-toll-bridge-now-due-re-open-early-2024/ |access-date=9 January 2024 |work=The Press |date=11 December 2023}} The bridge reopened on 17 February 2024.{{cite web |date=17 February 2024 |title=Aldwark toll bridge to reopen after 10 months of repairs |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1r15ny91n8o |access-date=13 January 2025 |website=BBC News }} The cost of the maintenance was variously reported as being £1 million or £700,000.

The bridge has an iron frame and a timber deck, with one brick arch surviving, supported by a sandstone cutwater. There are also surviving brick and sandstone arches over floodlands at the side of the river. The section over the river consists of four spans.