Elvet Bridge

---

title: "Elvet Bridge" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["bridges-completed-in-the-13th-century", "bridges-across-the-river-wear", "bridges-in-county-durham", "buildings-and-structures-in-durham,-england", "grade-i-listed-bridges-in-england", "grade-i-listed-buildings-in-county-durham"] description: "Medieval bridge in County Durham, England" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvet_Bridge" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Medieval bridge in County Durham, England ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox bridge"]

Field	Value
bridge_name	Elvet Bridge
image	The Old Elvet Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 3634657.jpg
crosses	River Wear
locale	City of Durham, County Durham, England
design	Pointed arches with reinforcing ribs. Piers with cutwaters.
material	stone
width	33 ft
spans	10 known; possibly 14 total
pierswater	3
begin	1160
complete	13th century
heritage	Grade I listed building
coordinates
::

|bridge_name = Elvet Bridge |image = The Old Elvet Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 3634657.jpg |image_size = |alt = |caption = |carries = |crosses = River Wear |locale = City of Durham, County Durham, England |owner = |maint = |id = |website = |engineering = |design = Pointed arches with reinforcing ribs. Piers with cutwaters. |material = stone |length = |width = 33 ft |height = |mainspan = |spans = 10 known; possibly 14 total |pierswater = 3 |load = |clearance = |below = |life = |begin = 1160 |complete = 13th century |cost = |open = |inaugurated = |traffic = |followed = |heritage = Grade I listed building |closed = |map_cue = |map_image = |map_alt = |map_text = |map_width = |coordinates = |lat = |long = |references = |extra =

Elvet Bridge is a medieval masonry arch bridge across the River Wear in the city of Durham, in County Durham, England. It links the peninsula in central Durham and the Elvet area of the city, and is a Grade I listed building.

Building

Building of the bridge began in AD 1160 in the time of Bishop Hugh de Puiset (1153–95). De Puiset, also known as "Bishop Pudsey" was a powerful Prince Bishop who instigated a significant amount of building work in northern England. A key reason for building the bridge was the urban development taking place in what was the then Elvet borough. The bridge took many years to complete: in 1225 and 1228 indulgences were still being granted to people who contributed to "the building of the new bridge at Elvet". Of the current arches only one is late 12th century; the remainder are 13th century.

Elvet bridge was not Durham's first bridge over the Wear. The Foedarium of Durham Cathedral Priory, compiled early in the 15th century, records: ::quote Bishop Hugo built the bridge of Elvit, called the New Bridge to distinguish it from the other bridge, already built, which is called the Old Bridge. ::

The bridge has 10 visible arches, but this has never been proven. The river flows through four full arches – the remaining are dry or partly so. The early 19th-century antiquary Robert Surtees wrote that there were 10 arches, and this number has been verified. Others may be hidden beneath the street on the Elvet side or beneath Souter Peth.

Subsequent history

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Albany_E.Howarth(1872_-1936)-_Elvet_Bridge,Durham-ABDAG006323-Aberdeen_City_Council(Archives,_Gallery_and_Museums_Collection).jpg" caption="ft}} on its upstream (northern) side."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Old_Elvet_Bridge_on_a_sharp_autumn_day_-geograph.org.uk-_1027342.jpg" caption="Buildings on the bridge at its southeastern end"] ::

In the Middle Ages Elvet Bridge was guarded by a gate and towers, and there was a number of buildings on the bridge. They included a chapel at either end: St James' at the western end and St Andrew's on a pier at the eastern end. St Andrew's may have been the larger of the two, as an inventory compiled in 1549 in the Edwardine Reformation measured the lead on their roofs as 36 sqyd at St James' but 88 sqyd at St Andrew's. St James' chapel was replaced with a House of Correction (prison) in 1632. In the 18th century the House of Correction and many buildings at the north end of the bridge were demolished.

The chapel on the eastern, Elvet, side of the bridge has partially survived and is particularly visible from the riverbanks to the south. A number of buildings incorporate part of the bridge, and 18 Elvet Bridge is also Grade I listed as a result.

The bridge is reputed to be the narrowest row-through bridge in Europe.

|River = River Wear |upstream = New Elvet Bridge |downstream = Kingsgate Bridge |type = bridge |thisis = |upsub = |downsub = |location =

References

Sources

References

1. {{NHLE. (6 May 1952)
2. {{harvnb. Johnson. 2004. (October 2013)
3. {{harvnb. Jervoise. 1931
4. {{harvnb. Simpson. 2006. (October 2013)
5. antiquary]] [[John Leland (antiquary). Jervoise. 1931
6. {{harvnb. Jervoise. 1931
7. {{NHLE. (30 April 1971)

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::