Ludford Bridge in Ludlow set to re-open today following repair work
Ludford Bridge in Ludlow is set to re-open at 5pm this afternoon (Friday 6 May 2016) following repair work after a lorry hit the bridge towards the end of February.
Work has been carried out by Shropshire Council and its contractors Mouchel and Ringway, working closely with Historic England. From the outset all recognised the need to re-open the bridge as quickly as possible to minimise the impact on businesses within the town.
The bridge dates from the 15th Century and is the site of the ‘Battle of Ludford Bridge’ in 1459 during the Wars of the Roses. It is is a Scheduled Monument and Grade 1 Listed Building, giving it the highest level of protection. This meant any works had to be coordinated and agreed before they could start. This introduced potentially significant delays, but these were minimised by the various agencies working closely together.
Simon Jones, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways and transportation, said:
“Ludford Bridge will be open in under 11 weeks following the accident, which is a fantastic achievement and great news for Ludlow’s residents and businesses.
“From a standing start we have had to carry out work on a Scheduled Ancient Monument – work that requires approval from the Secretary of State; have had to source the right stone and get that approved; and have had to get masons with the necessary skill sets to do the work, using sensitive techniques at a time of year where that can be difficult – which is quite remarkable. In usual circumstances it can take up to 13 weeks just to get the Secretary of State’s approval to carry out such work.
“Well done to everyone involved with this project, I’m really pleased and impressed with the way everyone has pulled together.”
Vivienne Parry, Shropshire Councillor for Ludlow South, said:
“I want to say thank you and well done to the staff who worked to get this bridge open again in this amount of time, and thank you to Ludlow’s businesses and residents for their patience while the job was being done.”
Care was taken to select stone from Shropshire quarries through local stone suppliers, and Ringway also engaged the Shropshire-based expert stone mason Paul Arrowsmith to undertake the repairs. This ensured that the repairs were carried out using the correct traditional craft skills and appropriate materials. It also meant that the money spent on the repairs has been reinvested in the local economy, helping to sustain these heritage skills and materials for the future.
