Lady's Bridge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lady's Bridge is the oldest bridge across the River Don in the City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the central section of the city, linking the Wicker to the north with Waingate to the south.
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[edit] History
[edit] The first bridge
The original wooden bridge at this point was constructed close to Sheffield Castle sometime after 1150 under the orders of William de Lovetot, the Norman baron who had also built the castle along with the town's first church, hospital (at Spital Hill), and corn mill (at millsands).
[edit] Lady's Bridge
In 1485 the Vicar of Sheffield, Sir John Plesaunce, and William Hill, who was a master mason, both agreed to build a bridge of stone "…over the watre of Dune neghe the castell of Sheffield…" at a cost of about £67. A small chapel, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, was built close to the bridge, and the bridge became known as 'Our Lady's Bridge'. When built it could only be crossed by pedestrians as there were steps at either end of the bridge. The chapel had been converted for use as a wool warehouse by 1572, and was subsequently used as an Alms house.
[edit] Modifications
In 1784 much of the surrounding area was being redeveloped, the bridge was altered and the chapel to Our Lady was demolished. For the first time carts could now cross the bridge—prior to this all carts had to use the Sheaf bridge, a wooden bridge that crossed the River Sheaf near the bottom of Dixon Lane. The bridge was widened further still in the late 19th century, virtually obscuring the remaining original structure from view.
[edit] The Great Sheffield Flood
On the night of 11 March 1864 Lady's Bridge narrowly avoided destruction when the waters of the Great Sheffield flood poured over it. Nearly every other bridge upstream in the path of the flood had been smashed by the waters and the debris that they carried. A contemporary account (Harrison, 1864) described the scene:
- "When the flood was at its height the scene on the Lady's Bridge at the top of the Wicker was most extraordinary. The water came rushing down between the buildings on each side with a force that made the Lady's Bridge quake and tremble. Against the bridge were piled up trees, logs of timber, broken furniture, and debris of every description."
[edit] References
- Harrison, Samuel (1864). From The Lady's Bridge to the Midland Railway Station. In A Complete History of the Great Flood at Sheffield. Originally published London and Sheffield: Harrison S. Republished online.
- Hunter, Joseph (1819). The Township of Sheffield. In Hallamshire. The History and Topography of the Parish of Sheffield in the County of York, pp189–195. London: Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mayor & Jones. This book is out of print but can be purchased on CD-ROM
- Vickers, J. Edward MBE (1999). A Brief History of Sheffield. In Old Sheffield Town. An Historical Miscellany (2nd ed.), pp7–16. Sheffield: The Hallamshire Press Limited. ISBN 1-874718-44-X.
