 Tarr Steps, Exmoor, Somerset, England | |
| Ancestor | Step-stone bridge |
|---|---|
| Related | Log bridge |
| Descendant | Arch bridge,trestle bridge |
| Carries | footpaths, tracks, roadways |
| Span range | Short |
| Material | Stone |
| Movable | No |
| Design effort | Low |
| Falsework required | No |
Aclapper bridge is an ancient form ofbridge found on the moors of the EnglishWest Country (Bodmin Moor,Dartmoor andExmoor) and in other upland areas of the United Kingdom includingSnowdonia andAnglesey,Cumbria,Derbyshire,Yorkshire,Lancashire, and in northernWester Rossand north-westSutherland in Scotland.[1][2] It is formed by large flat slabs of stone, oftengranite orschist. These can be supported on stone piers across rivers, or rest on the banks of streams.
Although often credited with prehistoric origin, most were erected inmedieval times, and some in later centuries.[3] They are often situated close to aford where carts could cross. According to the DartmoorNational Park, the word 'clapper' derives ultimately from anAnglo-Saxon word,cleaca, meaning 'bridging the stepping stones';[4] theOxford English Dictionary gives the intermediate Medieval Latin formclapus,claperius, "of Gaulish origin", with an initial meaning of "a pile of stones".[note 1]
A fine example, the Postbridge Clapper Bridge, can be found atPostbridge, on Dartmoor. Its slabs are over 4 metres (13 ft) long, 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) wide and weigh over 8 metric tons (7.9 long tons; 8.8 short tons) each, making the bridge passable to a small cart. It was first recorded in 1380 and was built to facilitate the transportation ofDartmoor tin bypack horses to thestannary town ofTavistock.
Other surviving examples include theTarr Steps over theRiver Barle in Exmoor, andStara Bridge over theRiver Lynher in eastCornwall.
Some larger clapper bridges, such as atDartmeet andBellever, have collapsed – their slabs swept away by floods, or raided for building or wall construction - and have since been rebuilt. However, there are many other smaller examples in existence on Dartmoor and still in use, such as those at Teignhead Farm (close toGrey Wethers stone circles), Scorhill and across the Wallabrook stream.
While the term "clapper bridge" is typically associated with the United Kingdom, other "clapper-style" bridges exist throughout the world. One example is theAnping Bridge in China, being over two kilometres long and one inLouisburgh, County Mayo in Ireland.
| Structural types |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Lists of bridges by type | ||
| Lists of bridges by size | ||
| Additional lists | ||
| Related | ||
