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Beggar's Bridge is a late medieval stone footbridge spanning the River Esk near Glaisdale in North Yorkshire. Dating to the fourteenth century, it is among the oldest bridges of its type in England and represents significant medieval engineering achievement in a rural context. The bridge comprises a single pointed arch constructed from stone, designed to withstand the river's flow whilst providing a vital crossing point for local traffic. Its enduring survival exemplifies the solid construction methods employed in medieval bridge-building and its persistent use demonstrates the importance of such infrastructure to the medieval and post-medieval landscape.
Beggar's Bridge is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1021022. View the official record →
Beggar's Bridge is a late medieval stone footbridge spanning the River Esk near Glaisdale in North Yorkshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1021022.
Beggar's Bridge is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1021022.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Wheeldale Howe (6.4 km), Two Howes: two round barrows on Goathland Moor (7.4 km), Round barrow on Wheeldale Moor, 1250m west of Wheeldale Lodge (7.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Beggar's Bridge's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Beggar's Bridge stands on Lias Group, bedrock that formed in the Aalenian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, limestone and sandstone.