Throughout history rivers have been a hub for human settlement and have long been a key part of local livelihoods, history and culture, as well as still playing a present-day role in providing services and leisure to people who live around them. It is no coincidence that all four of the earliest human civilisations were formed on great rivers: the Nile, Euphrates, Indus and Yellow rivers all saw great human aggregation along them. The most ancient and vital architectural structures linked to the use of rivers are bridges.
There are a wide range of medieval bridge structures, some very simple in their construction, to amazing triumphs of design and engineering comparable with the great churches of the period. They stand today as proof of the great importance of transport networks in the Middle Ages and of the size and sophistication of the medieval economy. These bridges were built in some of the most difficult places, across broad flood plains, deep tidal waters, and steep upland valleys, and they withstood all but the most catastrophic floods. Yet their beauty, from simplistic to ornate, remains for us to appreciate.
Medieval Bridges of Southern England has been organised geographically into tours and covers the governmental regions of Southwest England, London, and Southeast England. There are exactly 100 bridges included. There is an introduction and background information about the medieval period of English history at the beginning and there are beautiful full colour photographs throughout the book.

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• Defining Medieval
  • Medieval Period Overview
  • Medieval Timeline
• Medieval Bridges
  • Criteria for Inclusion
  • Chronology and Dating
  • Bridges and Medieval Road Networks
  • Basic Components of a Medieval Bridge
  • Medieval Bridges and the Church
  • Bridge Chapels
  • The Economics of Medieval Bridges
  • Medieval Bridge Types
  • Medieval Bridge Builders
  • Islands in the Stream
  • Cutwaters
  • Longevity
  • Major Rivers in England by Length
  • Number of Medieval Bridges in Southern England by Region and County
  • Historic England Listed Bridges and Structures
  • Scheduled Monuments
  • National Grid Reference Numbers
  • The Bridge Tours
  • The Star Rating System
• MEDIEVAL BRIDGES OF SOUTHERN ENGLAND
  • 1. BUCKINGHAMSHIRE & NORTH OXFORDSHIRE TOUR
    • 1. Leckhampstead Bridge
    • 2. Thornborough Bridge
    • 3. Lower Heyford Bridge
  • 2. NORTHEAST CORNWALL TOUR
    • 1. Yeolm Bridge
    • 2. St Thomas Packhorse Bridge
    • 3. Greystone Bridge
    • 4. Horsebridge Bridge
  • 3. CENTRAL CORNWALL NORTH TOUR
    • 1. Wadebridge Bridge
    • 2. Helland Bridge
    • 3. Panters Bridge
    • 4. Treverbyn Old Bridge
  • 4. CENTRAL CORNWALL SOUTH TOUR
    • 1. Ruthern Bridge
    • 2. Respryn Bridge
    • 3. Lostwithiel Bridge
    • 4. St Austell West Bridge
  • 5. NORTH DEVON TOUR
    • 1. Barnstaple Long Bridge
    • 2. Bideford Long Bridge
    • 3. Rothern Bridge
    • 4. Taddiport Bridge
  • 6. SOUTHEAST DEVON TOUR
    • 1. Staverton Bridge
    • 2. Austin’s Bridge
    • 3. Dart Bridge
    • 4. Holne Old Bridge
    • 5. Holne New Bridge
    • 6. Postbridge Clapper Bridge
  • 7. SOUTHWEST DEVON TOUR
    • 1. Lydford Bridge
    • 2. Harford Tavy Bridge
    • 3. Horrabridge Bridge
    • 4. Huckworthy Bridge
    • 5. Plym Bridge
    • 6. Aveton Gifford Bridge
  • 8. EAST DEVON TOUR
    • 1. Culmstock Bridge
    • 2. Ellerhayes Bridge
    • 3. Stoke Canon Bridge
    • 4. Old Exe Bridge
    • 5. Clyst St Mary Bridge
  • 9. NORTH DORSET TOUR
    • 1. Cornford Bridge
    • 2. Holwell Bridge
    • 3. Fifehead Neville Footbridge
  • 10. SOUTHEAST DORSET TOUR
    • 1. Crawford Bridge
    • 2. Wool Bridge
    • 3. Holme Bridge
    • 4. Wareham North Bridge
    • 5. Place Mill Bridge
  • GLOUCESTERSHIRE
    • King John’s Bridge
  • HAMPSHIRE
    • New Alresford Bridge
  • 11. KENT TOUR
    • 1. Aylesford Bridge
    • 2. Teston Bridge
    • 3. East Farleigh Bridge
    • 4. Yalding Town Bridge
    • 5. Twyford Bridge
    • 6. Laddingford Bridge
    • 7. Hertsfield Bridges
  • 12. LONDON TOUR
    • 1. Hanwell Bridge
    • 2. Clattern Bridge
    • 3. Eltham Palace North Bridge
  • 13. EAST OXFORDSHIRE TOUR
    • 1. Wallingford Bridge
    • 2. Culham Bridge
    • 3. Abingdon Bridge
    • 4. Ock Bridge
    • 5. Little Godstow Bridge
  • 14. WEST OXFORDSHIRE & KEBLE’S BRIDGE TOUR
    • 1. New Bridge
    • 2. Radcot Bridge
    • 3. Keble’s Bridge
    • 4. Burford Bridge
  • 15. EAST SOMERSET TOUR
    • 1. Tun Bridge
    • 2. Stanton Drew Bridge
    • 3. Bow Bridge
    • 4. Wyke Champflower Bridge
    • 5. Buckland Dinham Packhorse Bridge
  • 16. CENTRAL SOMERSET TOUR
    • 1. Hele Bridge
    • 2. Bradford-on-Tone Town Bridge
    • 3. Haselbury Old Bridge
  • 17. WEST SOMERSET TOUR
    • 1. Horner Packhorse Bridge
    • 2. West Luccombe Packhorse Bridge
    • 3. Gallox Bridge
    • 4. Landacre Bridge
    • 5. Tarr Steps Bridge
    • 6. Barle Bridge
    • 7. Bury Bridge
  • 18. SURREY TOUR
    • 1. Tilford West Bridge
    • 2. Tilford East Bridge
    • 3. Elstead Bridge
    • 4. Somerset Bridge
    • 5. Eashing Bridges (Upper & Lower)
    • 6. Unstead Bridge
  • 19. TITCHFIELD & WEST SUSSEX TOUR
    • 1. Stony Bridge, Titchfield
    • 2. Trotton Bridge
    • 3. Woolbeding Bridge
    • 4. Stopham Bridge
  • 20. NORTH WILTSHIRE & IFORD TOUR
    • 1. Bradford-on-Avon Town Bridge
    • 2. Barton Bridge
    • 3. Iford Bridge
    • 4. Lacock Bridge
    • 5. Gumstool Bridge
  • 21. SOUTH WILTSHIRE & FORDINGBRIDGE TOUR
    • 1. Salisbury Milford Bridge
    • 2. Salisbury Crane Bridge
    • 3. Harnham Bridge
    • 4. Coombe Bissett Packhorse Bridge
    • 5. Fordingbridge Bridge
• A Glossary for Medieval Bridges
• Acknowledgements
• Bibliography