Roman bridge put back together again

Journal Live ^ | Saturday, January 12, 2008 | Tony Henderson

[SunkenCiv]

Remains of what was one of the biggest Roman bridges to be built in Britain have been reassembled on the banks of the River Tyne. The 50ft long and 10ft high reconstruction is opposite Corbridge Roman site in Northumberland and near the spot where the ornate stone bridge spanned the river. Excavations rescued stonework from the bridge which was threatened by river erosion. The bridge carried Dere Street, the main South-North road, over the Tyne to the important Roman fort and supply base at Corbridge -- and was built accordingly. The excavations revealed that the bridge, built around 160AD, had between six and 10 arches and was probably highly decorated with columns, elaborate parapets, altars and statues of gods and the emperor and his family... no stone Roman bridges have been found in the south of England, with even the span over the Thames at London built in wood... Around the 5th Century, after the Roman occupation had ended, the ramp was undermined by river erosion and collapsed, which meant that the span went out of use. Research also showed that the bridge was the source of the stones used in the construction of the crypt of the church built by St Wilfrid in Hexham in 674AD, which is now beneath Hexham Abbey... Hundreds of tonnes of stone from the bridge remain on the river bed.

[SunkenCiv]

This Is Corbridge, Northumberland

[SunkenCiv]

Hexham Abbey (from a blog)

[SunkenCiv]

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[SIDENET]

Roman bridge put back together again

It's about time they started fixing some of that stuff.

The Dark Ages have been over for a while.

[Grimmy]

They’re kinda stuck in a “fighting the last war” scenario, but it’s many many wars ago that Hadrian’s Wall was of any real value.

On the other hand, if the Brits could go a bit Roman on their current invaders... might not be a bad thing.

[SIDENET]

On the other hand, if the Brits could go a bit Roman on their current invaders... might not be a bad thing.

Sounds good to me.

[Question Liberal Authority]

On the other hand, if the Brits could go a bit Roman on their current invaders... might not be a bad thing.

When the Romans invaded Britain, the Brits assimilated to the culture of the invading Romans.

When the Normans invaded Britain, the Brits assimilated to the culture of the invading Normans.

If history is any guide, it doesn't look good for the Brits.

[Fred Nerks]

I WANDERED lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: A poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company: I gazed--and gazed--but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils.

[SunkenCiv]

Bullwinkle Moose? ;’)

[Fred Nerks]

Of Course!

[Grimmy]

Yep. You’re right. I totally forgot that part. England is a nation built upon succeeding waves of collaborators.

[SunkenCiv]

About five years ago, an expatriate Englishman told me some of what he knew regarding looking for old coins and whatnot using metal detectors. He seemed to have a good working knowledge of Roman Britain. One of the things that sticks with me is that the folk term for the result of a vanished Roman bridge is "birdfoot". The Romans generally took the shortest route from A to B. Especially after the bridges vanished, the various medieval cart traffic had to swing to the left or right to take a gentler slope down to the riversides, creating a Y pattern, hence the "birdfoot". Can't seem to find anything on the web about this.

Roman Roads in Lancashire

[ARE SOLE]

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks.

[Fred Nerks]

One of the finest examples of a surviving Roman road in Britain, Blackstone Edge, on Rishworth Moor near Manchester, is remarkably well preserved with rain gullies and close-fitting cobbles still intact.

[brityank]

Corbridge - 2006 ^ -- some recent photographs, plus many other areas of Tyneside and Geordie Land.

Thanks for the info on the 'bridge'; in reality it's just the ramp and bank-side structure. Yeah. I wanted to see the whole bloody thing!       ;^)

[Fresh Wind]

Roman road my foot. That picture was taken in Pennsylvania.

[UKTory]

“When the Romans invaded Britain, the Brits assimilated to the culture of the invading Romans.

When the Normans invaded Britain, the Brits assimilated to the culture of the invading Normans.

If history is any guide, it doesn’t look good for the Brits.”

Wow, we’re all going to end up speaking Polish!

[BenLurkin]

Very nice!

[Dustbunny]

Thanks for that post, I wondered how Roman roads had held up over the ages.