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The Great Britain Guide

Historic bridges · South West England

Britain's medieval bridges

Ten stone bridges that still carry traffic 800 years later.

Britain has more medieval bridges in active use than any other country in Europe. Many were built between 1100 and 1500 by monastic foundations as part of pilgrimage routes; the best — Pulteney Bridge in Bath, the Old Bridge at Ayr, Wadebridge in Cornwall — combine engineering grandeur with sleepy market-town settings. This tour samples ten worth a journey in their own right.

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