The bridge dates from the 17th century and became a listed building in 1967. Built of slate, the bridge consists of a 4.6-metre-high segmental arch and a flatter span of slabs, with a natural rock in the middle of the river. The bridge is believed to have been made by miners working in the nearby Tilberthwaite Fells .
As early as the 19th century, Alexander Craig Gibson called it 'a beautiful and unique example of a style of bridge almost extinct'; a century later, Alfred Wainwright called it 'the most picturesque pedestrian bridge in Lakeland, a slender arch made of slate from the quarries and built to give quarry workers shorter access from their homes'.
The bridge was hailed in a 20th-century poem as "...this/exercise in suspended circularity, toppling tension./The rough slate wedges bear their own likeness/on the belly of each, with the grass jumping sideways/at the joints. The bare arch connects two valley walls/as if with a handshake over the reflection of the sky".
Each bridge in the Lake District has a unique story and can be part of a larger history of the area. For example, the bridge can be part of a historic route, a walking trail, or simply a testament to the history of the area.
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