Clopton Bridge, Medieval stone bridge in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.
Clopton Bridge is a masonry arch bridge crossing the River Avon with 14 pointed arches built from stone. The structure carries the main A3400 road across the river and has an iron footbridge alongside for pedestrians.
This bridge was commissioned around 1484 by Hugh Clopton, a wealthy merchant who later became Lord Mayor of London, to replace an earlier wooden crossing. During the English Civil War in 1642, one arch was deliberately destroyed to block military forces from advancing across the river.
The bridge shapes the identity of Stratford-upon-Avon and serves as a main route that visitors and locals naturally pass through when crossing the river. Its presence connects the town's past to the rhythms of everyday life in the present day.
The bridge is easy to reach on foot and sits on the main road at the southern edge of the town center where it crosses the river. Visitors can walk across at any time since it remains an open public thoroughfare.
A ten-sided toll-house tower was built on the bridge in 1814 when travelers had to pay to cross. This distinctive structure still stands today and marks when the bridge functioned as a source of income for the town.
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