Ballingdon Bridge, Sudbury

  Archaeological recording in 2002

Pictures of Ballingdon Bridge in the 19th and 20th centuries

Monitoring of the project to demolish and replace Ballingdon Bridge produced evidence of four previous bridges dating from between the 13th century to the early years of the 20th century. The remains of a stone, brick and two wooden bridges were found along with evidence of both collapses and phases of repair, this tied in closely with documentary accounts to provide a detailed history of the crossing. Evidence of post medieval buildings adjacent to the river and the augmentation of the Sudbury bank through revetments and dumping of household and industrial rubbish from the 15th century were also found.

Full information about the project, including the illustrations below, is contained in a report which can be downloaded by clicking the links below - please note that these are quite large .pdf files (2mb and 1.45mb):

Part 1 (PDF, 2mb) Suffolk County Council Archaeological Report 2007/020

Part 2 (PDF, 1.45mb) Suffolk County Council Archaeological Report 2007/020

Cross-section of the brick bridge  behind timber piles of the later bridge			Extracting the timbers
Remains of the brick bridge being excavated adjacent to the Sudbury bank

Illustrative section through the bridge pier showing wooden stakes footings

Stones from the 13th century bridge

 

Table showing significant dates in the history of the crossing at Ballingdon:

Date	Documentary record	Archaeological record
1200+	The first documented bridge standing at the start C13th. Tolls collected from the bridge used to endow a Hospital on the Sudbury bank	Dressed stone from Barnack Quarries indicated presence of structure pre 1500
1450-1500		Brick bridge-brick date late15th-early 16th
1521	4th May: Bridge swept away
		Evidence of repair to pier 0025 of brick bridge
1531	Statute of Bridges Act passed
1594	September: Flood destroys bridge	Evidence of irreparable subsidence to brick bridge pier
1595		Earliest felling date for Type 2 piles, Spring 1595
1705	Stour Navigation created
1661	Sudbury Corporation ordered to sell town gates to fund repairs	Felling date for Type 4 timbers winter 1661
1757	Court orders for repairs served	Felling date type 5 piles 1756-92
1761	Court orders for repairs served	Felling date type 5 piles 1756-92
1767	Court orders for repairs served	Felling date type 5 piles 1756-92
1767	Court orders for repairs served	Felling date type 5 piles 1756-92
1805	May:  Essex Magistrates orders that bridge demolished and replaced
1805	September: construction of new wooden bridge begins	Felling date for type 1 piles late C18th early C19th
1870	New oaks spliced into the existing piles
1911	Construction of the Hennebique concrete bridge
1914-18	The Great War	Hole for packing explosives cut into the bridge, Lighter barges scuttled in Ballingdon Grove
2002	Demolition of Hennebique’ concrete bridge
2003	Construction of the new bridge