Old Exe Bridge, Medieval bridge ruins in Exeter, England
The Old Exe Bridge is the ruin of a medieval crossing over the River Exe in Exeter, England, built from Heavitree stone. Of the original arches, eight and a half stone spans remain visible today while the rest lie underground.
Merchants named Nicholas and Walter Gervase began construction in 1190 and completed the crossing in 1214. The church on the bridge was demolished in the 18th century, but the arches survived as evidence of medieval engineering.
The structure carried a church directly on its roadway, St. Edmund's, which remained part of the crossing until its demolition in the 18th century. Pedestrians could step into triangular niches above the piers when carts passed by.
The remains stand in a public riverside park and are freely accessible to visitors who can view the arches from multiple sides. Some sections lie buried, but the visible parts give a good sense of the original layout.
This crossing is the oldest bridge of its size in England and stretched 180 meters (590 feet) in length. The triangular niches served not just as shelter but also showed the builders' concern for pedestrians in an era of growing cart traffic.
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