Parish/District | Crowland/South Holland |
Location | At the junction of South Street and East Street in the centre of Crowland |
Category | Lost Cross |
National Grid Ref | TF 23941 10241 |
Designation | The bridge is scheduled and listed I |
Stone type | Limestone (Barnack stone) |
Refs | D S Davies in Lincs Notes and Queries. Vol XIII No.5 January 1915 pp139-143; See Lincs HER |
Visits |
Trinity Bridge is a unique triangular stone bridge built in 1360-1390 by the monks of Crowland Abbey to replace earlier wooden structures, possibly dating back to the tenth century. It spanned the confluence of the river Welland and a tributary but these watercourses were diverted in the mid-seventeenth century and now no water flows beneath the bridge. It is formed of three pointed half-arches in the form of a triangle and on the south arm is a seated figure in stone said to be Christ in Majesty (placed there in 1720, probably a figure taken from Crowland Abbey) – there is also a stone mounting block associated with the structure nearby.
It is said that the bridge was originally crowned with a tall canopied cross. No evidence for this cross survives and as the carriageways are only c.2.5m wide, it is hard to imagine how this arrangement functioned. Several sources and directories mention the cross but it is hard to find a definitive reference for its existence.
The present bridge is approached by steep stone steps (see photos) but it is thought that these are relatively modern and that there were originally cobbled ramps allowing easier access for pack animals.