EWX2028 - Town Bridge, Christchurch; desk-based assessment 2000

Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by Christchurch Borough Council to undertake an archaeological impact assessment of a proposed environmental improvement scheme to Christchurch Town Bridge. The bridge is a scheduled monument (SM 830), a grade I listed building and lies within a conservation area. The assessment established that the bridge was constructed in the 15th or 16th century. It also collated and discussed the historical evidence for the repair and maintenance of the bridge. Some of the main events include the thorough refurbishment of the bridge in 1834-8, the widening of the north side by 10 feet in 1899-1900 and the addition of a metal footbridge to the north side in 1949-50. A trial pit survey carried out in 1995 and 1996 by W.S. Atkins Consultants Ltd in advance of a Nynex duct laying operation suggest that solid concrete and services are likely to be encountered below the tarmac roadway and pavements across the bridge. The shallow depth of the proposed disturbance is unlikely to have any impact on any buried archaeological remains. This includes the historic structure of the bridge.