Bideford Long Bridge.

We went out for breakfast this morning- what a treat! We had everything from pancakes to bagels and a full English. It was great to have a walk around the town without having to duck the showers.

Bideford is dominated by this large bridge spanning the river Torridge.

Some extra detail about the bridge:

The original Long Bridge spanning the River Torridge and connecting the East and West of the town was said to have been built out of timber in the year 1286. In 1474 the original structure was replaced by the masonry arch bridge seen today.

The bridge was built around the timber so people could still use it while construction was taking place. It has 24 arches all of different sizes. The traditional explanation is that each arch was funded by a different local guild, although there are no records to confirm this.

During the first decade of the 17th century, the bridge trustees were taken to court by the people of Bideford for feasting and seeing plays with the trust funds. The people won the court case although it is unclear whether the trustees were forced to resign after the scandal or what happened to them.