| Clapper Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Tarr Steps, Exmoor, Somerset, England |
|
| Ancestor: | Step-stone bridge |
| Related: | Log bridge |
| Descendant: | Arch bridge, trestle |
| Carries: | Pedestrians |
| Span range: | Short |
| Material: | Stone |
| Movable: | No |
| Design effort: | Low |
| Falsework required: | No |
A clapper bridge is an ancient form of bridge found on the moors of Devon (Dartmoor and Exmoor) and in other upland areas of the United Kingdom including Snowdonia and Anglesey. It is formed by large flat slabs of granite or schist supported on stone piers (across rivers), or resting on the banks of streams.
Contents |
History
Although often believed to be of prehistoric origin, most were erected in medieval times, and some in later centuries.[1] They are often situated close to a ford where carts could cross. According to the Dartmoor National Park, the word 'clapper' derives ultimately from an Anglo-Saxon word, cleaca, meaning 'bridging the stepping stones';[2] the Oxford English Dictionary gives the intermediate Medieval Latin form clapus, claperius, "of Gaulish origin", with an initial meaning of "a pile of stones".[3]
Examples
A fine example, the Postbridge Clapper Bridge, can be found at Postbridge, on Dartmoor. Its slabs are over four metres (13ft) long, two metres (6 ft 6 in) wide and weigh over eight tons each, making the bridge passable to a small cart. It was first recorded in 1380 and was built to facilitate the transportation of tin by pack horses to the stannary town of Tavistock.
Surviving examples include the Tarr Steps over the River Barle in Exmoor.
Other larger clapper bridges, such as at Dartmeet and Bellever, have collapsed – their slabs swept away by floods, or raided for building or wall construction. However, there are many other smaller examples in existence on Dartmoor and still in use, such as those at Teignhead Farm (close to Grey Wethers stone circles), Scorhill and across the Wallabrook stream.
The largest 'clapper style' slabs bridge, Anping Bridge[4], was built at around 1000 AD in Fujian Province, China. The bridge is 2223 meters long, and the largest granite slab span is 2.5 feet (0.76 m) deep and wide and 35 feet (11 m) long, estimated to weigh 20 tons.
External links
Media related to Clapper bridges at Wikimedia Commons
References
- ^ Dartmoor National Park Authority: A Guide to the Archaeology of Dartmoor. 2003, ISBN 1841142263; page 27
- ^ Dartmoor National Park Authority: A Guide to the Archaeology of Dartmoor. 2003, ISBN 1841142263; page 59
- ^ French and Provençal clapier developed the additional significance of a rabbit warren. (OED, s.v. "clapper".)
- ^ en.structurae.de: ID s0005531
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