Summary

Double span masonry road bridge of circa 1804 crossing the Sea Cut (a flood relief drain of the same date).

Description

MATERIALS: sandstone ashlar. Later alterations in concrete.

FORM: the bridge is of two slightly unequal spans, the arches being segmental with single arch rings and plain spandrels. The central pier has round cutwaters which rise as buttresses stopping immediately below the coping to the parapet. There is a continuous band at both impost level and at the base of the parapets. The parapets have plain chamfered coping. The bridge has been widened at the south-east and the north-west abutments tapering inwards to the central pier, the widening being in the form of shuttered concrete with the ashlar parapets realigned above. Concrete repairs elsewhere appear to be more restricted, being skims of render over existing stonework.

History

In 1804 the Muston and Yedingham Drainage Board constructed the New Cut (now known as the Sea Cut): an artificial drainage channel taking water from the River Derwent, just over 700m west of Mowthorp Bridge, to flow eastwards out to the North Sea at Scalby. The Sea Cut was designed to help control periodic flooding of the lower reaches of the River Derwent. Mowthorp Bridge is thought to have been constructed as part of this early C19 engineering scheme. At some point before 1928, in order to improve the road line, the arches of the bridge were augmented in concrete with the parapets repositioned accordingly.

Reasons for Listing

Mowthorp Bridge is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Date: despite early C20 concrete alterations, the bridge retains its character as an early C19 masonry road bridge;
* Historic Interest: for its interest as part of a significant early C19 flood relief scheme.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26584170

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)