Description

907/0/10024 POLAM LANE
16-AUG-06 Polam Lane Bridge

II
Footbridge, spanning the River Skerne c. 1891 of steel, iron and sandstone. North and south coursed rusticated sandstone abutments with impost blocks each surmounted by two pillars extending above the deck, topped with moulded capstones. The bridge abutments support a steel girder bearing the bridge deck, supplemented by a pair of cast iron Corinthian columns placed in the centre of the riverbed. The bridge deck has an unusual style of ornate cast iron handrails with curvilinear supporting iron side brackets.
History: Polam Lane Bridge was built to give access across the River Skerne between the end of Polam Lane to the north of the river and the newly built Victoria Embankment to the south. It also gave access to one of the main entrances to South Park, originally laid out in 1851 when it was known as Bellasses Park. The bridge design was put out to tender in March 1891 and it was constructed shortly afterwards. It appears on the Second Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1899.

Bridges forming an essential part of a registered landscape are considered to meet the criteria for listing in a national context, even if they are not architecturally elaborate. This iron footbridge of c 1891 has decorative handrails of an unusual design and provides access to the northern corner of South Park across the River Skerne. Most importantly, it forms an essential element of the historic and registered South Park and it therefore fulfils the national criteria for listing.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26671083

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

• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Hampshire: Winchester and the North (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover