Site Event/Activity record ESF20633 - Bridge at Sibton Abbey, Sibton
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Location
Location | Bridge at Sibton Abbey |
---|---|
Grid reference | Centred TM 3631 6964 (10m by 15m) |
Map sheet | TM36NE |
Civil Parish | SIBTON, SUFFOLK COASTAL, SUFFOLK |
Technique(s)
Organisation
Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service
Date
Not recorded.
Description
An 18th century bridge and the remains of its medieval predecessor were recorded at Sibton Abbey, Sibton. The bridge stands within private grounds and provides access across the River Yox to the site of the ruined Cistercian abbey. The abbey ruins are Grade-II listed and a Scheduled Ancient Monument but the bridge itself stands outside the designated monument area. The wing of the bridge on the upstream south bank has recently collapsed, exposing the soil core of the bridge abutment, and seriously endangering the bridge's future. The current bridge was built in 1770 by John Freston Scrivener Esq. to replace that which was built as part of Sibton Abbey. The bridge would have been visible from the house which the Scrivener family had had built on the site of the abbey during the first half of the 17th century. Hodskinson's map of Suffolk (1783) shows the river swollen to a wider body of water and the design of the new bridge would have been constructed to contribute to this enhanced vista. The bricks within the earlier bridge suggest that it is medieval, and was constructed probably during the 12th or 13th century, a time when the clausteral buildings were also being remodelled using a similar brick; however the lack of any evidence of a defining architectural style makes the bridge remnant impossible to date with absolute confidence. The medieval bridge abutment has been described, erroneously, as part of a monastic hospital on the first edition OS (HER no. SBT 001).
Project status: Complete Yes, Validated Yes
Previous/Future Work: Previous Not known, Future Not known
Associated Identifiers:
Sitecode SBT 034
HER event no. SBT 034
NMR No. 1527613
Project Type: Building Recording
Methods and Techniques: Photographic Survey, Survey/Recording Of Fabric/Structure, Measured Survey
Reason for Investigation: Recorded at the request of English Heritage as the structure was at risk
Site status: None
Current Land use: Transport and Utilities 2 - Other transport infrastructure
Monument Type(s)/Period(s): BRIDGE Post Medieval , BRIDGE Medieval
Artefact Type(s)/Period(s): NONE None
PROJECT LOCATION
Area 100.00 Square metres
Grid Reference: TM30788324 Point
PROJECT CREATOR(S)
Brief originator: English Heritage
Design originator: Robert Parkinson
Director/Manager: David Gill
Supervisor: David Gill
DIGITAL ARCHIVE
Recipient: Suffolk County SMR
Contents: other
Media: Images raster / digital photography, Survey, Text
PAPER ARCHIVE
Recipient: Suffolk County SMR
Contents: other
Media: Notebook - Excavation, Research, General Notes, Plan, Report, Survey, Unpublished Text
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Publication Type: Grey literature (unpublished document/manuscript)
Title: Bridge and Sibton Abeey, Sibton SBT 034
Author(s)/Editor(s): Gill, D.
Other Bibliographic Details: SCCAS Report No. 2010/156
Date: 2010
Issuer/Publisher: SCCAS
Place of Issue or Publication: Bury St Edmunds
Description: A4, ring bound, white cover
Sources/Archives (1)
- --- SSF53633 Unpublished document: Gill D,. 2010. Bridge at Sibton Abbey, Sibton, SBT 034.
Related Monuments/Buildings (2)
Record last edited
Dec 3 2010 6:07PM