Biggleswade
Bridges
Places > Biggleswade > Bridges
There was a bridge in Biggleswade by the fourteenth century. This medieval bridge was replaced in 1796 by Sir Philip Monoux using local masons, Rivets of Biggleswade. The Rev. Thomas Orlebar noted that the bridge was built with stone from Sandy.
The first ‘Meccano’ bridge was erected in 1939 to enable the old stone bridge to be ‘dualled’. In 1948 the stone bridge was demolished entirely and replaced with another metal ‘Meccanno’ bridge. These bridges are more properly called Callender Hamilton bridges and were designed to carry tanks in war time.
Work started in 1999 to replace the ‘Meccano’ bridges in order to upgrade the road in readiness for heavier lorries to be allowed under European Directives.
Sources:
Page last updated: 23rd January 2014