Building Bridges
A typical arch bridge on the Wilts & Berks Canal generally cost between £35 and £45 for the primary structure (masonry and preparation), though this price could more than double when accounting for the extensive roadwork and approach embankments required to make the bridge functional.,
The following breakdown details the typical expenditures for these structures:
1. Primary Masonry and Brickwork (£23 – £50)
The cost of the physical structure was determined by the volume of material, which differed significantly between standard "occupation" bridges and those built for turnpike roads.
- Standard/Occupation Bridges: These typically required between 29,000 and 33,000 bricks. At a standard building rate of 16s per thousand bricks, the brickwork for these bridges usually cost between £23 and £26. Examples include the bridge in Lord William Seymour’s land (£23 12s 0d) and the bridge in Mr. Fox’s land (£25 10s 0d).
- Turnpike Road Bridges: Major road crossings required nearly double the materials, using 50,000 to 62,000 bricks. Brickwork for these larger structures cost between £41 and £50. For instance, the bridge for the turnpike between Melksham and Devizes (Spa bridge) cost £50 4s 9 1/2d for 62,100 bricks.
- Stone Construction: Bridges built primarily of stone, such as the arched bridge at Chaddington Common, were priced by the cubic yard. This structure contained 222 cubic yards of masonry and cost £49 19s 0d at a rate of 4/6 per yard.
2. Pounding and Coping (£5 – £10)
Once the masonry was complete, additional specialized work was required to stabilize and finish the structure.
- Pounding: Contractors were paid a standard fee—usually £1 11s 6d per bridge—for "pounding," which involved compacting earth behind the walls to secure the structure.,
- Coping: Finishing the parapets with stone was often a separate charge. For example, coping five arch bridges cost £29 6s 8d in total (approximately £5 17s each), while stone for a single bridge's parapets in Melksham cost £4 8s 0d.
3. Roadwork and Approaches (£20 – £100+)
The most variable and often most expensive part of building an arch bridge was "backing" the bridge and constructing the road over it.
- Standard Roadmaking: John Clark was paid £41 12s 0d for stoning the new road over the bridge at Stanley, and another £39 8s 0d for the road at Woodward’s Bridge.,
- Major Terminal Bridges: George Roe recorded a massive payment of £103 19s 0d for "backing the bridge and making the road over it" at Tythe Barn, Abingdon, reflecting the high standards required for heavy terminal traffic.
- Earthmoving: Substantial costs were incurred for wheeling earth to form embankments. For example, wheeling over 5,000 cubic yards of earth to form the road to the bridge at Forest Gate cost £134 4s 0d.
Summary of typical costs for a standard bridge:
- Brickwork/Masonry: ~£25
- Coping and Pounding: ~£8
- Basic Roadmaking: ~£15
- Typical Total: ~£48
When bridges were part of larger complexes, the costs were even higher. The regulating lock and arched bridge at Semington reached an aggregate masonry cost of £526 15s 6d due to its role as a major canal junction and its use of specialized inverted arches.,
Source: Canal Company Ledgers A & B, 1795-1810