Godmanchester Chinese Bridge

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The bridge in Godmanchester
Enlarge
The bridge in Godmanchester

Godmanchester Chinese Bridge is a landmark of the town of Godmanchester, Huntingdonshire (now part of Cambridgeshire, England). It is a pedestrian bridge that spans the River Great Ouse and is, as the name suggests, built in an ostensibly Chinese style. The original was constructed in 1827 to designs by the architect Gallier, but it fell into a bad condition and was replaced with a replica by the local council in 1960.

The origins of the bridge are somewhat unusual. "Chinese Chippendale" had been a fashion of the mid-18th century, a time when the town was building a mansion for the Receiver General of Huntingdonshire by the river. Island Hall had included a rather smaller Chinese bridge, linking it to an ornamental island. It seems likely that this served as the inspiration for the public bridge several decades later — its white timbers are also in the Chinese Chippendale style.


River Great Ouse edit
Administrative areas: Northamptonshire | Buckinghamshire | Bedfordshire | Cambridgeshire | Norfolk
Flows into: The Wash

Towns (upstream to downstream): Brackley | Buckingham | Old Stratford
Milton Keynes (Stony Stratford, Wolverton, New Bradwell, Stantonbury, Great Linford) | Newport Pagnell | Olney | Kempston | Bedford | St Neots | Godmanchester | Huntingdon | St Ives | Ely | Littleport | Downham Market | King's Lynn


Major tributaries (upstream to downstream by confluence): River Ouzel (or Lovat) | River Ivel
River Kym | Old Bedford River | New Bedford River | River Cam | River Lark | River Little Ouse | River Wissey


Major bridges (upstream to downstream): Harrold bridge | A428 Turvey bridge | A428 Bromham bypass
A6 Bedford Town Bridge | A421 Bedford bypass | Great Barford Bridge
A428 Bridge St Neots | St Neots Town Bridge | Godmanchester Chinese Bridge
A14 bridge, River Great Ouse | Huntingdon Old Bridge | St Ives Bridge

Longest UK rivers: 1. Severn 2. Thames 3. Trent 4. Great Ouse 5. Wye 6. Tay 7. Spey 8. Nene 9. Clyde 10. Tweed 11. Eden 12. Dee


 This article about a bridge in the United Kingdom is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.