I’ve walked over a lot of bridges in my life, but Ketton Packhorse Bridge in Brafferton, Darlington stands out as one of the most unusual ones. It’s a stone-built, single-arch bridge in the middle of some fields. There is no stream beneath it or anything else, other than some plant life, so it would be easy to presume it’s a folly. It’s not. The bridge used to cross the River Skerne, which is now several meters away and has a concrete bridge of more recent design over the top of it.
When was the Skerne diverted? My research suggests it happened around 1810-1820. Some sources say it was to increase the power of the water flowing through Darlington. Others say it was necessary to improve the drainage of agricultural land by making it less marshy, helping to increase agricultural productivity.
But I’m side-stepping now. Let’s get back to the bridge.
As the name packhorse bridge suggests, packhorse bridges were originally constructed to carry packhorses over rivers and streams. The Skerne must have been a lot smaller in the days when people needed to cross it with packhorses because the bridge would not be wide enough to be functional if the Skerne was the same width that it is now.
Ketton Bridge was built in the late 1600s to early 1700s and remains in remarkably good condition for a structure that has been around for so long.
Like many bridges of its time, it’s a hump-backed bridge built out of stone and, although there is quite a lot of long grass growing on top of the bridge, it’s still easy to see its cobbled surface. Several sources I found say, Ketton Bridge is scheduled to become an ancient monument. As to if the plan will reach fruition, who can say?
Apparently, there has been a bridge in the vicinity since medieval times so, at the time of its construction, the packhorse bridge may have been an updated replacement, possibly for something made out of wood.
The stone bridge’s predecessor(s) were situated on Salter’s Lane. In medieval times, the lane connected the salt pans along the North-East coast to northern market towns. In those days, salt was a valuable commodity, not just as a flavour enhancer, but also as a preservative.
These days, the area around Ketton Packhorse Bridge is pretty quiet. You are only likely to encounter a few people out hiking or walking their dogs. In years past, it would have been a lot busier because it was an important trade route.
But is this old bridge in the middle of a field worth seeing? I would say so, but unless you are interested in history or architecture, it’s probably not worth making a special trip.
However, if you are in the area, and like spending time in nature, that’s a different matter. The bridge is on a public footpath, in the middle of nice countryside. The footpath crosses other footpaths and bridleways, so there are several possible routes to explore.
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