Cardington Bridge

The five-arch Cardington Bridge crosses a brook on the Whitbread Estate near Cardington, east of Bedford. It was designed by John Smeaton for Samuel Whitbread. In 1778, he engaged Smeaton to design the bridge for Cardington Brook, a tributory of the River Ouse. It carries the road north from the local village to the join the main Bedford to Sandy road. Cardington Bridge is one of only two brick bridges by Smeaton. Smeaton is better known for designing the Eddystone lighthouse which was finished in 1759 and was hailed as one of the greatest engineering triumphs of the century. Smeaton also rebuilt Cardington Mill in 1786 nearby. However, the building was destroyed by fire in 1823.