Lovelace Bridges

The Lovelace Bridges were built by William King, 1st Earl of Lovelace (1805-1893) on his estate at East Horsley, Surrey, in the 1860s. Fifteen bridges were built to facilitate the transport of timber by horse-drawn carts. The bridges were built where the tracks crossed existing bridleways or roads. Ten bridges still exist.[1]

Lovelace Bridges Trail sign
Stoney Dene Bridge

The bridges were constructed from local flint and brick; they all had plaques with their name and dates. Most of the bridges are horseshoe shaped "Moorish" design, between a span of six feet at Meadow Plat to eighteen feet for the Dorking Arch, which crosses Crocknorth road. The Earl had his own brickworks in West Horsley/Ockham and the lime for the mortar would have been local, possibly from chalk pits in Kiln Field Coppice. The saw mill was near Brockhole Cross, near the junction with Outdowns on the Epsom Road.

There is a Lovelace Bridges Trail produced by the Horsley Countryside Preservation Society[2] and there is a project to conserve the bridges managed by Forestry England.

Remaining bridges
BridgeListed BuildingLocationGrid Reference
GradeReference number
Briary Hill East BridgeII1294884Honeysuckle Bottom, East HorsleyTQ 09956 50813
Briary Hill West BridgeII1029417Honeysuckle Bottom, East HorsleyTQ 09854 50818
Dorking Arch BridgeII1187984Crocknorth Road, East HorsleyTQ 09983 51163
Hermitage BridgeII1377858Sheepwalk Lane, East HorsleyTQ 10200 50209
Meadow Plat BridgeEffinghamTQ 107508
Oldlands BridgeII1029395Outdowns, EffinghamTQ 10686 52185
Raven Arch BridgeII1029416Honeysuckle Bottom, East HorsleyTQ 09625 51058
Robin Hood BridgeII1294880Green Dene, East HorsleyTQ 09694 51332
Stoney Dene BridgeII1246731EffinghamTQ 10567 51746
Troy BridgeII1029426Sheepwalk Lane, East HorsleyTQ 09576 50226

Lost bridges

The following bridges no longer exist: Outdowns Bridge, Pine Grove Bridge, Horse Close Bridge, Oakhanger Bridge and Falcon Arch.[3]

References
  1. "East Horsley, The Lovelace Bridges". Exploring Surrey's Past.
  2. "Lovelace Bridges Trail". HCPS. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  3. "The Lovelace Bridges Trail" (PDF). Exploring Surrey's Past. Retrieved 10 September 2023.

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