Higher New Bridge

Heritage listing

Details The monument includes Higher New Bridge across the River Tamar, on the boundary between Cornwall and Devon at a point 2.5km north east of Launceston in east Cornwall. The bridge is largely of late medieval date with some later modification. The monument also includes a post-medieval milestone and a boundary marker stone. Higher New Bridge is Listed Grade I. Higher New Bridge spans the River Tamar north east-south west by three substantial arches, to which a masonry faced causeway rises at each end. The south western causeway includes a small floodwater arch, part of the bridge's original design. The arches are each very slightly pointed, almost rounded in form. The three main arches range from 7.8m to 8.5m in span, each with double arch-rings: the inner rings have granite voussoirs and are slightly recessed, separated by a granite string-course from outer rings largely of local metamorphic stone. The floodwater arch, 5.3m in span, has only a single ring of granite voussoirs on each face. Between the large arches, the two piers have pointed cutwaters to each side and are faced mostly by dressed granite slabs, called ashlar, as are the masonry abuments, though some later rebuilding is shown by local stone facing the upstream cutwaters above the level of the arch springing. Similar differences occur in the facing of the sides of the bridge above the arches: largely of granite ashlar downstream but of local stone upstream. The exposed base of the north eastern abutment reveals its stepped foundation courses. The line, called the impost, along which each arch springs is marked by a granite string-course; immediately above this under the three large arches (though not the floodwater arch) is a row of spaced rectangular slots considered to have held the posts of a timb

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.