Scheduled Monuments›England›Water Houses clapper bridge

Water Houses clapper bridge

England
List entry 1007258
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1007258
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.02 hectares
Grid reference
NY 71300 10870
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Water Houses clapper bridge is a medieval stone bridge located in Westmorland, England. The structure consists of large flat stone slabs laid across supporting stone piers to form the characteristic clapper bridge design, a type of construction common in upland regions of northern England during the medieval period. The bridge would have provided an essential crossing point for local traffic and potentially for packhorse routes connecting settlements and farms across the difficult terrain. Its survival to the present day testifies to the durability of this practical stone construction method.

Water Houses clapper bridge is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1007258. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Water Houses clapper bridge?

Water Houses clapper bridge is a medieval stone bridge located in Westmorland, England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1007258.

Who is responsible for protecting Water Houses clapper bridge?

Water Houses clapper 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 1007258.

What other scheduled monuments are near Water Houses clapper bridge?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Smardale South Demesne medieval village (4.1 km), Warren including three pillow mounds at Smardale Demesne, 950m south west of Holme Farm (4.2 km), Two round cairns, three Romano-British settlements and aggregate field systems at Severals and Intake, and Smardale Gill lime kilns and quarry (4.2 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Water Houses clapper bridge

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Water Houses clapper bridge's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Smardale South Demesne medieval village
4.1 km
Warren including three pillow mounds at Smardale Demesne, 950m south west of Holme Farm
4.2 km
Two round cairns, three Romano-British settlements and aggregate field systems at Severals and Intake, and Smardale Gill lime kilns and quarry
4.2 km
Whitber Romano-British farmstead 660m south west of Highmore Hill
5.3 km
Two Romano-British enclosed settlements and an associated regular aggregate field system at Waitby Intake
5.5 km
Medieval settlement and chapel site N of Newbiggin-on-Lune
5.6 km
Dykes and mounds on either side of Scandal Beck
5.8 km
Round cairn on the summit of Rasett Hill
6.1 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Water Houses clapper bridge

Water Houses clapper bridge stands on Yoredale Group, bedrock that formed in the Bashkirian. The rock here is limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks.

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