Godmanchester Chinese Bridge

Godmanchester Chinese Bridge is a landmark of the town of Godmanchester, Huntingdonshire (now administered as part of Cambridgeshire, England). It is a pedestrian bridge that spans a mill stream on the River Great Ouse and is, as the name suggests, built in an ostensibly Chinese style. The original was constructed in 1827^[1] to designs by the architect James Gallier, but it fell into a bad condition and was replaced with a replica by the local council in 1960.

The origins of the bridge are somewhat unusual. "Chinese Chippendale" had been a fashion of the mid-18th century, a time when the town was building a mansion for the Receiver General of Huntingdonshire by the river. Island Hall had included a rather smaller Chinese bridge, linking it to an ornamental island. It seems likely that this served as the inspiration for the public bridge several decades later – its white timbers are also in the Chinese Chippendale style.

The bridge was removed by crane on Tuesday 9 February 2010. A replica, built in Yorkshire by CTS Bridges, was put into position on Monday 15th and Tuesday 16 February.

References

↑ English Heritage: National Monuments Record, accessed 2009-10-31

River Great Ouse, England

Counties	Northamptonshire Buckinghamshire Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire Norfolk

Flows into	The Wash

Towns (upstream to downstream)	Brackley Buckingham Old Stratford Milton Keynes (Stony Stratford Wolverton New Bradwell) Newport Pagnell Olney Kempston Bedford St Neots Godmanchester Huntingdon St Ives Ely Littleport Downham Market King's Lynn

Major tributaries (upstream to downstream by confluence)	River Tove River Ouzel (or Lovat) River Ivel River Kym Old Bedford River New Bedford River River Cam River Lark River Little Ouse River Wissey

Major bridges (upstream to downstream)	Harrold bridge A428 Turvey bridge A428 Bromham bypass A6 Bedford Town Bridge A421 Bedford bypass Great Barford Bridge A428 Bridge St Neots St Neots Town Bridge Godmanchester Chinese Bridge A14 bridge, River Great Ouse Huntingdon Old Bridge St Ives Bridge

Longest UK rivers Severn Thames Trent Great Ouse Wye Ure/Ouse Tay Spey Clyde Tweed Avon Nene Eden Dee

Coordinates: 52°19′09″N 0°10′33″W / 52.31926°N 0.17582°W / 52.31926; -0.17582

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