Old Atcham Bridge

 footbridge, 1770s construction, Grade II* Listed (UK)

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In 1550 Sir Rowland Hill built a stone bridge with 18 arches, subsequently replaced by the present bridge which dates from 1769-71 and was designed by John Gwynne. The bridge was originally built to carry the road that would become the A5 over the River Severn. It was designed by John Gwynn and built between 1769 and 1771, at the expense of the County of Shropshire. There is evidence in the stone work that the central date stones were originally flanked by railings (no longer extant). The A5 was rerouted in 1929, when a new concrete bridge was built immediately to the north. The old bridge continues to be used as a footpath.

John Gwynn(e) (1713-1786) was an architect, civil engineer and, in 1768, was a founding member of the Royal Academy. He re-worked Sir Christopher Wren's plan for the rebuilding of London and this led to his involvement in the introduction of the Building Act 1774, which improving standards of materials and workmanship. He designed several other bridges along the River Severn including English Bridge, Shrewsbury first built in 1769 (Grade II*), and Magdalen Bridge, Oxford built in 1772-1777 (Grade II*).
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