A tale of ten bridges – Blandford’s bridges
Chris Down takes a look at Blandford’s river and road crossings
Published in August ’17
Blandford Forum and the smaller suburb of Blandford St Mary lie at an historic crossing of the River Stour. The broad arc of the river forms a wide flood-plain here, navigating the base of the chalk ridge formed by the surrounding downland and wooded cliffs. These natural features create a distinctive landscape to the west, easing the direction of the developing town north-eastwards from its medieval core. The significance of a river crossing at this point was instrumental in the positioning of the settlement and subsequent bridges have continued to be integral to its development for over 700 years.
20th-century bridge, built after the railway left, forms part of Jubilee Way
During the early medieval period, the Anglo-Saxon name Blaen-y-ford was used to describe a crossing point on the River Stour, approximately 50 metres east of the present-day stone bridge. The name referred to a fording point where the small freshwater fish, the blay or bleak, could be found. By the time the Domeday survey was completed in 1086, a small hamlet is thought to have existed on the present site of the town, although the first written documentation of early urban development was not until 1217-18. By 1288 the town was known as Cheping Blandford and during 1305 sent a member to Parliament. By 1307 Blandford had risen sufficiently as a borough and market town to become taxed at the urban rate, with the Lay Subsidy records of 1332 listing a modest total of 21 taxpayers in the town paying a sum of 41 shillings.
20th-century bridge, built after the railway left, forms part of Jubilee Way
The first record of the existence of a bridge at Blandford is as pons de Blaneford, in 1268. From here on, there appears to be very little record of its history over the next 400 years, due in part to the early parish records being lost in the fire of 1731. However, in 1631 the Quarter Sessions records describe the bridge as being in need of repair. In 1664 repairs were made by the County, and there is recurring reference made to this end during the remainder of the 17th century. Despite this, the structure of the bridge was not designated and fully taken up as a County bridge until the 18th century.
The iron and brick bridge at Milldown, close to the northern edge of the town.
An order was passed in 1726 to completely restore the bridge. The plans incorporated the construction of a causeway across the water meadows between the bridge and the southern edge of the town, at what is now West Street. A fee of £115 was paid for the work, which was completed in 1727. Fifty-six years later, William Moulton was contracted to repair and widen the bridge and causeway for £840, and in 1821, William Bushrod rebuilt the eastern side of the bridge for a sum of £2450.
The six-arch bridge we see today remains separated from the town by water meadows, across which a continuation of West Street is carried on a causeway and two other bridges, of two and three arches. Greensand and brown heathstone form the majority of the building materials, and whilst the two causeway bridges resemble the main bridge, their eastern sides have been rebuilt with concrete.
The arrival of the railway during the second half of the 19th century brought with it a new phase of bridge-building. The Dorset Central Railway opened its line to Blandford on 1 November 1860. A temporary terminus was built south of the River Stour, at Blandford St Mary, while negotiations for a merger with the Somerset Central Railway were under way and an extension connecting the track between Blandford and Templecombe was completed. This included the rail bridge and flood arches crossing the Stour. The amalgamation between the two companies was finalised in 1862, forming the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway (S&DJR). Blandford station was relocated to a site north of the river, in Blandford Forum, and was opened on 31 August 1863. It was one of the largest stations on the line.
Preetz Bridge was the first purpose-built pedestrian bridge to cross the River Stour. It was opened in 1997.
In addition to the main rail bridge spanning the river, smaller bridges were built to allow traffic and pedestrians to cross the cuttings and track as it travelled north-west. Three bridges were built for this purpose and all of them remain integral to the navigation of the town today. Arguably the most distinctive of them is the Alexandra Street pedestrian footbridge, above the site of the dismantled station. Constructed from iron and now partially supported by four narrow legs, the bridge stands at what was once the northern end of the station, where the single-line section to Templecombe began.
Blandford station remained open until 7 March 1966, when the entire line from Bath to Bournemouth closed to passengers. Goods traffic continued for a further three years, but the station was finally closed and the track lifted in 1969. Following the closure, the Damory railway bridges, on the southern approach to the station, were eventually demolished in 1978.
The iron footbridge at the site of the Blandford Forum station, seen here at dusk
The arrival of the railway played an important role in the development of the town and was instrumental in its commercial growth during the Victorian and Edwardian era. It effectively marked the beginning of suburban expansion to the east of the historic town. Although the population remained relatively stable for the forty years between 1851 and 1891, at approximately 4000, this figure had dropped to around 3200 by 1921. Gradually, over the next sixty years, the population continued to increase, so that by 1981 it stood at 3920. These statistics serve to illustrate that although further suburban expansion began in the post-war period, it was not until the 1980s that the population of the town increased beyond its mid-19th-century peak. Over the next decade there was a dramatic increase as the figure more than doubled to reach 7850 by 1991. This expansion was located around the higher ground to the north and east of the town centre, and was contained within the boundary formed by the construction of the new bypass.
Built during the 1980s, the route of the bypass essentially enclosed the town to the south, east and north. Its presence alleviated much of the congestion experienced in the town centre, diluting the volume of traffic crossing the Grade II listed stone bridge. Two steel and concrete bridges were required to carry the new road, one crossing the Stour close to Langton Long, and the other taking the carriageway above Black Lane, near to St Leonards.
Salisbury Road is carried over the dismantled railway by a brick bridge, north of the dismantled Blandford Forum station.
As the town continued to grow, the need for informal recreational areas rose, too. The blue Mortain suspension bridge, opened in April 2000, is the second of two purpose-built footbridges serving the public open space around the water meadows. It spans the Stour a short distance downstream from the stone bridge, providing a pedestrian link between Blandford St Mary and the town. Further downstream still stands the black framework of Preetz Bridge, officially opened by the then Chairman of the Council, Frankie Lane, in November 1997.
At the moment, the population of Blandford is estimated to be in excess of 12,000 people. The rapid growth of the town in recent years has raised concerns regarding sustainability and, at the time of writing, controversial plans for a development outside the constraint set by the bypass are gathering momentum. If the proposals come to pass, could this be an opportunity for a new bridge over the A354, linking it with the established suburb of Blandford St Mary? A potential new addition, perhaps, in the evolution of Blandford’s bridges.
