Historic spaces Bridge and poet’s home are granted listed status
ASTONE bridge that follows the path of ancient Romans, and a cottage that was home to one of Gloucestershire’s greatest poets, have been granted Grade II listed status.
Structures that are ‘of special interest, warranting every effort to preserve’ them are granted Grade II status to protect them from being demolished, extended or altered.
This means that the Fosse Way Bridge in the Cotswolds and Brook Cottage will be preserved for future generations of historians, ramblers and sightseers.
Ross Simmonds, acting regional director at Historic England, said: “The additional places protected this year show the diversity of our region’s shared heritage, from progressive public buildings in Cornwall to the Gloucestershire home of Charles Tomlinson, an acclaimed 20th century poet.
“These wonderful historic sites are now protected for future generations, and we encourage people to apply for listing, or share their photos and videos of listed sites, through our website.”
Over the past year, 32 sites across the South West have been granted protected status.
» Brook Cottage, Ozleworth Valley, Gloucestershire – listed Grade II
Brook Cottage, together with Bridge Cottage, were a pair of houses built in the late 18th or early 19th century for workers of the Ozleworth Park estate, near Wotton-under-edge.
They were sold when the estate was broken up in 1947, and from 1958 Charles Tomlinson lived at Brook Cottage.
In 1961, he converted Brook Cottage and Bridge Cottage into one home.
Tomlinson, who was born in 1927 and died in 2015, was an acclaimed poet and translator. The Gloucestershire area and Brook Cottage itself provided the inspiration for many of his poems.
Although Tomlinson travelled widely around the world, Brook Cottage was his base and the scene of gatherings that saw leading literary lights, including Ted Hughes, James Lees-milne and Bruce Chatwin visit the house.
Built of local stone, with a Cotswold stone roof, the building is a very good example of the style and use of materials typical in Gloucestershire at the time it was constructed.
Illustrations of local craft skills abound – in the iron window and door catches that were forged nearby, and the unusual scalloped timber decoration to the window frames.
Inside, original materials and details survive, including wide floorboards and stone-flagged floors.
» The Fosse Way Bridge, Gloucestershire – listed Grade II This unaltered, former packhorse bridge spanning the River Avon comprises a single arch.
It was built in the mid-1700s by skilled stonemasons and is created entirely from Cotswold limestone.
It follows the historic route of the Fosse Way, a Roman road built during the first and second century that linked Exeter and Lincoln.
Featuring on a map of Wiltshire from 1773, it appears on Ordnance Survey maps from 1829 and later in a tithe map of 1838, when it was listed as part of ‘The Foss Road’ from Bath to Cirencester and formed part of a route that ran through a private estate.
The first edition (1886) Ordnance Survey map, and subsequent maps, show the bridge as a footbridge. It is part of a public footpath today.
Heritage Minister, Nigel Huddleston, said: “Listing these significant historic sites means we can protect our valuable heritage for future generations to learn from and ensure they are on the map for local people and visitors to be proud of and enjoy.
“This year’s entries on to the list span the length and breadth of the country and have something to inspire everyone.”
These wonderful historic sites are now protected for future generations, and we encourage people to apply for listing
Ross Simmonds