The restoration of a Grade II listed bridge in the heart of the North Yorkshire moors.
This lovely historic bridge was built around 1709 in a quiet, picturesque setting in Buckden, near Skipton. It was built as a crossing point over the River Wharfe and is very popular amongst hikers.
Unfortunately, the sheer weight and volume of modern day traffic and local farm machinery has caused the bridge to become structurally unstable.
Working alongside NYCC, North Yorkshire national parks and a Hull based Civil Engineering company we were appointed to carry out this necessary restoration.
We carefully took down all the wing walls, parapets, voussoirs and cutwaters leaving just the barrels remaining. Each stone was carefully numbered, photographed and sketched before being stored safely in on-site containers.
The structure was then rebuilt using all the original stone but with stainless steel ties fixing it all back to a new concrete infill, designed to take the extra loads required.
Each and every stone was bedded in the exact location it came from.
Finally, we repointed the newly built bridge in a traditional lime mortar before opening back up for public use.
The whole project was successfully carried out under a strict deadline as the Tour de France cyclists were to cross the bridge in their journey through Yorkshire.