Summary

Packhorse Bridge, of about 1759, spanning Pendlebury Brook.

Description

Packhorse Bridge, of about 1759, spanning Pendlebury Brook.

MATERIALS: mixture of rough-hewn, punched, and tooled New Red Sandstone blocks, with a modern tamped grit surface.

PLAN: 'J'-plan, single span with curved southern abutments; aligned roughly north-east to south-west.

DESCRIPTION: a single span, segmental-arched bridge crossing the Pendlebury Brook. The arch faces have roughly hewn keystones and voussoirs rising off skew back stones that rest directly upon coursed squared piers. The arch soffit has a squared stone surface, but it has suffered some fracturing, particularly to the apex. The eastern arch is flush apart from a slightly projecting keystone, while the western arch is set back beneath an archivolt. The eastern keystone is severely eroded and an adjacent voussoir to the right has been faintly inscribed with an underscored W; possibly representing the Hundred of (West) Derby, any other lettering is illegible. The western keystone has been badly eroded, and the inscription is illegible, apart from the letters H D. The adjacent voussoir to the right has been faintly inscribed: H D / 1759. The abutments are of graduated coursed tooled stone blocks, with modern repairs to the upper course with modern flat copings stones that define the edge of the path and support modern painted tubular steel hand railings.

The bridge deck is flat and has been surfaced in a modern tamped grit surface, and the parapet walls are low and rounded. The eastern parapet consists of two large stone blocks with sloped ends. The west parapet has three blocks, the southern end is sloped; however, the northern end is vertical. The surfaces of both parapets exhibit eroded traces of graffiti and lettering, and the inner face of the west parapet has an incised benchmark. The path at the southern end of the bridge is obstructed by a pair of modern galvanized hurdles staggered to form a baffled entry.

History

The exact date and origins of this packhorse bridge are unclear, however, it is believed that it dates to 1759, as it has a faint inscription that reads: H D / 1759, and the design of the segmental arch with its projecting rim or archivolt, is very similar to that of Penwortham Bridge, Preston, built by Act of Parliament in 1759 to 1760. The earliest known map depiction is shown on Yates' map of the County Palatine of Lancaster, dated 1786.

The Perambulation of Eccleston published in 1796 records that the bridge was situated on a road that leads from ' Kennington Cross to Thatto Heath ...'. Given that this packhorse route from Thatto Heath (a coal mining and industrial area) to Prescot and Liverpool passed through three townships, this bridge would probably have been a 'Hundred Bridge', built and maintained by the Hundred of (West) Derby, as suggested by the very eroded incised letters that appear to read H D and W, on the arch elevations.

The flat deck and the low rounded parapet walls were intended to allow packhorses to cross the bridge without snagging their heavy side-loaded baskets or panniers of coal. With the passage of time, much of the route has been swallowed up by the modern road system, however, the 875m long Public Right of Way that exists along Two Butt Lane between Holt Hill, Rainhill and Rainhill Road, Eccleston, and crosses the packhorse bridge, is a physical reminder of this ancient packhorse route.

Reasons for Listing

The Packhorse Bridge, Two Butt Lane, of about 1759, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* a rare pre-Industrial Revolution packhorse bridge;
* an unusually diminutive design of packhorse bridge, with a flat deck and low rounded parapets to permit the passage of heavily laden horses without snagging their baskets or panniers of coal;
* an unusual construction with a plain arch to one side and an arch beneath an archivolt to the other.

Historical interest:

* a physical reminder of the pre-Industrial Revolution use of packhorses to transport coal around the country, and the former packhorse route that linked the coal mines and industries in the Thatto Heath area to Prescot and Liverpool.

Recommended Books

• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  ENGLAND GUIDE TO POST WAR LISTED: A Guide to Post-war Listed Buildings
• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)