| Description | The bridge, Lower Stubbings, Warley.
The 'bridge' at Lower Stubbings was the subject of a Historic Building consultation Report by Peter Thornborrow (WYAS) in 1994. This was undertaken at the request of the Yorkshire West Riding Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group as a commission to prepare an outline history of, and prepare a schedule of works to a bridge on land to the south east of Lower Stubbings, Warley.
The bridge, in reality, is a culvert which takes the stream underground for a short distance before it reappears from a crude arch of boulders, the edges of the bridge formed of dry stone walling. The area of the bridge is defined by adjacent field boundary walls which narrrow to form a neck of land which crosses the stream at this point.
Although there are theories that it marked the route of a packhorse trail, there is no evidence for this. Thornborrow suggests that the bridge post dates Jeffrey’s 1803 township map which shows field wall boundaries but not the walls which defined the edges of the bridge. The bridge is first identified on the OS 1st edition 6' map, 1850 (sheet 230). It was also during the early 19th century that Lower Stubbings, a farm 70m to the north west is first named. The introduction of new land management practice would have led to new tracks. Documentation accompanying the1803 township map confirms that the land on both sides of the sream was in single ownership.
Thornborrow recommended the removal of vegetation from the bridge and consolidation of ground surfaces with sets or chippings.
The report also contains photographic images of the bridge feature.
(Thornborrow, P.H. (WYAS) 1994. 'Lower Stubbings, Warley. FWAG Stewardship Scheme'). |