Ravenstonedale Artle garth Beck Bridge, Ravenstonedale, Cumbria

Ravenstonedale Photo: a fantastic Ravenstonedale Photograph Featuring Artle garth Beck Bridge, Ravenstonedale, Cumbria
Photograph Taken On Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Photograph Taken On Tuesday, September 29, 2020
The Packhorse bridge is at the south end of Ravenstonedale village and crosses Artle garth Beck (also referred to as Stone Gill from the downstream side of the bridge). Grade: 11. The bridge is understood to stand on a section of an extensive, historic packhorse route, probably serving the woollen trade. The present structure is considered to date from the late C18/early C19, and may have been constructed by the locally prominent Hewetson family. A bridge in this position is depicted on Cary’s 1789 Map of Westmorland and also on an estate map of 1848, and on all Ordnance Survey editions from 1859. It has survived considerable C20 flooding. During the first half of the C20 the south-east end of the bridge was angled to allow motor vehicles crossing the bridge from the village to turn sharp left; this was reportedly to allow access for the milk lorry to local farms. The bridge was closed to motor traffic in 1973 and concrete bollards were placed at either end. A concrete lintel under the upstream south parapet is inscribed with the date 1980 and probably records its rebuilding with a flatter profile than the original. A metal pole has been added to each end of the bridge.View image on Flickr