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Packhorse Bridge is a scheduled ancient monument located in Yorkshire, England, dating from the medieval period. The structure exemplifies the modest but essential infrastructure that serviced the packhorse trade routes which connected upland pastoral communities to lowland markets from the thirteenth century onwards. Constructed with characteristic narrow width and low parapets to accommodate laden animals rather than wheeled traffic, the bridge demonstrates the functional engineering typical of such crossing points. Its preservation reflects the importance of these trans-regional trading networks in the medieval and early modern economy of northern England.
Packhorse bridge is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1003147. View the official record →
Packhorse Bridge is a scheduled ancient monument located in Yorkshire, England, dating from the medieval period.
Packhorse 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 1003147.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Ellerton Priory: a Cistercian nunnery including fishponds, water management system, mill, field systems and Ellerton medieval settlement (4 km), Medieval settlement and field system at Walburn Hall (5.1 km), Cup marked stone on Stainton Moor above White Bog (5.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Packhorse 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.
Packhorse bridge stands on Yoredale Group, bedrock that formed in the Bashkirian. The rock here is limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks.