18. Town Bridge

This plaque is located on the north-eastern side of the TownBridge, within a few metres of the pedestrian crossing.

The first Town Bridge over the River Nene was built of wood by Abbot Godfrey of Crowland in 1307.

Its successor, also largely of wood, necessitated frequent repairs and was recorded as unsafe in 1856. By then its condition, with frequent patching, was that of a ‘poor old relic of bygone days’ which ‘submitted with many groans to the burden it had to bear’.

Not surprisingly, ithad been a cause of concern both for travellers over it and for river navigation beneath.

After much negotiation between the authorities who shared responsibility for the bridge (Northamptonshire andHuntingdonshire) and Peterborough’s city fathers, a three-arch replacement was specified, thirty feet wide including footpaths either side at a cost of more than £6,000.

This graceful new iron bridge was designed by Sir John Fowler, the designer of the first railway bridge across the river Thames.

It was cast by the renowned firm of Handyside & Co of Derby and constructed with almost equal amounts of wrought and cast iron. It was officially opened on 13 December, 1872.

Increasing levels of road traffic over the following 50 years meant the city had to address two problems. The first was the narrowness of Narrow Bridge Street (only 14feet between kerbs) which led eventually to the demolition of its east side and construction of the present Town Hall.

The second was queuing at the Great Eastern railway level crossing on London Road south of the river bridge. Eventually, in 1929 the Ministry agreed to a new bridge (or viaduct) spanning both river and rail.

The result was the present reinforced concrete bridge whose route lies closer to the Customs House than that of the cast iron bridge whose remains can be detected alongside on the north bank.

The present bridge was designed by architects Gotch and Saunders of Kettering and engineered by Major E M Stirling (who founded the Peterborough consulting engineering company Stirling Maynard & Partners). It was officially opened in 1934 by the Marquis of Exeter.

This plaque is the 18th in a series of twenty blue plaques recently installed in the city centre by Peterborough Civic Society and was produced with generous financial assistance from Peterborough City Council. Further details about all the plaques can be found in the accompanying leaflet available at the Visitor Information Centre in Bridge Street or via the society’s website.