Stoke Bridge

Stoke Bridge spans the River Orwell just east of Ipswich town centre, carrying Bridge Street into the suburb of Over Stoke. It stands where the River Gipping becomes tidal, a short distance upstream from Ipswich dock. The bridge actually consists of two separate structures, one built in the 1920s and the other added in the early 1980s. The crossing has a long history. A bridge existed on the site by the late 13th century, and earlier evidence of a ford and Saxon occupation at nearby Stoke Quay has been found. In Elizabeth I’s reign timber from Whitton was used in repairs. John Speed’s map of 1610 and Joseph Hodskinson’s of 1783 both show the bridge. In 1818 heavy floods destroyed the brick and stone structure, killing one man and prompting engineer William Cubitt to build a temporary floating bridge before Ransomes erected a cast-iron replacement. Today the two bridges carry traffic into Ipswich, with the older concrete bridge marked by a plaque dated 1924–25. The iron bridge from Cubitt’s time no longer stands, replaced in the 1920s and joined by a second span in the 1980s. The crossing remains the last downstream bridge before the Orwell Bridge takes the A14.