Stonebow Bridge

In all the years since I moved here, I had never been to Stonebow Bridge on the edge of Garendon Park in Loughborough. It's near to where one of my cousins lives.

Basil and I went looking this afternoon. It crosses the Blackbrook as it emerges from the estate on a roughly north-south axis. It's a Grade II listed monument/building although surprisingly little seems to be known about it. The Blackbrook has been channeled through straight stone walls both upstream and downstream which I'm sure increases the flow. The Blackbrook can be very powerful and certainly overflows its banks at times. It hasn't been allowed to meander.

The bridge is old, rumoured to be medieval and somewhere I've seen it referred to as the Roman bridge. It does seem to have a similar construction to one I saw in the north of England. Built of stone, a track goes over the top paved with crude slabs. There's no parapet. I'm sure the surrounding woods are home to wood anemones and bluebells in the coming months. I think there must be a slight drop in the ground as the water passes under the bridge because it begins to foam. Flow is fast.

We weren't so terribly far from where we ended our walk on Sunday. Two women passing confirmed that the track by the stream does indeed lead to Shepshed, the only problem being that the landowner has probably blocked access.

Nearby pools are known as the Stonebow Washlands and are noted for their beautiful swans, and reeds. The Blackthorn has started to blossom.