Wentbridge
Coordinates: 53°38′53″N 1°15′36″W / 53.648°N 1.260°W Wentbridge is a small village in the Benefice of the Went Valley and Parish of Darrington, West Yorkshire, England.
Geography
The village used to be on the A1, which section of road is now the B6474, which also leads eventually to South Elmsall. The village is less than a mile from the boundary with North Yorkshire to the east, with the boundary following the A1 from the River Went to Barnsdale Bar, where this is the southernmost point of North Yorkshire. Close by to the south-west is the Roman Ridge Roman road (A639). To the north is Darrington.
History
Wentbridge is mentioned in what may be the earliest Robin Hood ballad, Robin Hood and the Potter: "Y mete hem bot at Went breg,' syde Lyttyl John" A plaque on the bridge commemorates Robin Hood. Opposite the bridge, on the north side of the river is Jackson's Lane where a noticeboard directs travellers up to the church. The village is named because it used to be the Great North Road's bridge over the River Went. Entrance to the village was down a steep valley which would have been a problem before motorised transport and later was a bottleneck. The village pub is the Blue Bell Inn on Great North Road. The village Church is dedicated to St John the Evangelist, and welcomes couples for weddings and wedding blessings. The vicar is the Rev Adrian Judd. There is a church service every Sunday and Christmas Day, except for the 5th Sunday of the month. It is very convenient for receptions at the Wentbridge House Hotel and Rogerthorpe Manor.
Wentbridge Viaduct
To avoid the incline on the valley, when the village was bypassed at a cost of £800,000 in 1961, one of the largest viaducts in Europe (at that time) was built to cross the Went valley at a height of 30 m using prestressed concrete. It is 92 m long and was designed by FA (Joe) Sims, and became a Grade II listed building on 29 May 1998. It received an award thirty years after its construction from the Concrete Society.
External links
Media related to Wentbridge at Wikimedia Commons