The Roman fort at Piercebridge was connected to the road now known as Dere Street. This road linked York with Corbridge on Hadrian’s Wall, and incorporated two bridges over the River Tees.
History
The earlier bridge, made entirely of timber, was washed away as the course of the river changed northwards, although parts of the structure still remain underwater. The second bridge, downstream of the first, was uncovered during quarrying in 1972–3. This bridge was built of wood but was supported by stone abutments and five masonry piers.
During excavations a southern approach road was discovered, together with several buildings from the Romano-British settlement. Pottery from these buildings helped to date the construction of the bridge to possibly the 2nd or 3rd century ad. In the mid-4th century, as the river’s course continued northwards, the southern abutment silted up and a metalled causeway with a retaining wall of cut limestone slabs was built over the top.
A civilian settlement grew up around the fort, on both sides of the river, with the bridge connecting the two parts. Several Roman buildings, including a barrack block and a bath house, were revealed during excavations in the 1970s.
Description
Three components of the bridge have been discovered – the abutment at the south end, the pavement that consolidated the river bed and the masonry piers that carried the structure over the river. The southern abutment has a dressed stone surface with iron clamps. It stands 1.2 metres (4 feet) high from the paved surface on the riverside and is level with the grass bank on the opposite side. Five holes, in which timber beams for the bridge superstructure were inserted, can be seen on the river side of the abutment.
The pavement of sandstone blocks was laid on the river bed to prevent the river undermining the piers. Two gaps in the pavement and two piles of fallen masonry show the position of four of the five piers, with that of the fifth being marked by stone in the grass bank. The northern abutment, not found in the excavations, was probably destroyed by river action. Part of the later causeway survives as a bank with a revetment of stone to the east of the pavement.
Sources
Bidwell, P T and Holbrook, N 1989. 'Hadrian's Wall Bridges', English Heritage: London
Fitzpatrick, A and Scott, P 1999. 'The Roman Bridge at Piercebridge, Yorkshire-County Durham', Britannia, 30, 111-32
O'Connor, C 1993. 'Roman Bridges', Cambridge University Press: Cambridge
Disclaimer
The text and pictures on this page are derived from the 'Heritage Unlocked' series of guidebooks published in 2004. We intend to review, update and enhance the content in the near future as part of the Portico project, whose objective is to provide information on the history, significance, research background and sources for all English Heritage properties.
