Repair work on Ludford Bridge in Ludlow completed and re-opens today

Work has been carried out by Shropshire Council and its contractors Mouchel and Ringway, working closely with Historic England. Work was carried out to repair the bridge to minimise the impact on businesses within the town.

The bridge, which dates from the 15th Century and is the site of the ‘Battle of Ludford Bridge’ in 1459 during the Wars of the Roses, is a Scheduled Monument and Grade 1 Listed Building. This gives it the highest level of protection which meant works had to be coordinated and agreed before they could start.

Simon Jones, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways and transportation, said:

“Ludford Bridge will be open in under 11 weeks following the accident, which is a fantastic achievement and great news for Ludlow’s residents and businesses.

“From a standing start we have had to carry out work on a Scheduled Ancient Monument – work that requires approval from the Secretary of State; have had to source the right stone and get that approved; and have had to get masons with the necessary skill sets to do the work, using sensitive techniques at a time of year where that can be difficult – which is quite remarkable. In usual circumstances it can take up to 13 weeks just to get the Secretary of State’s approval to carry out such work.

Well done to everyone involved with this project, I’m really pleased and impressed with the way everyone had pulled together.”

Care was taken to select stone from Shropshire quarries through local stone suppliers, and Ringway also engaged the Shropshire-based expert stone mason Paul Arrowsmith to undertake the repairs.

This ensured that the repairs were carried out using the correct traditional craft skills and appropriate materials. It also meant that the money spent on the repairs has been reinvested in the local economy, helping to sustain these heritage skills and materials for the future.

Image: Copyright Mr M Evison and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence