Hampton Lucy bridge

Hampton Lucy Bridge is a cast-iron structure spanning the River Avon at the eastern edge of the village of Hampton Lucy in Warwickshire. Built in 1829, it carries Bridge Street over the water and remains one of the county’s early iron bridges. The Lucy family, long established in the area, commissioned the work through the Reverend John Lucy. Horseley Ironworks cast the ribs and Thomas Townshend supervised the installation. Five pointed flood-relief arches pierce each stone support beneath the deck.

The bridge’s four identical iron ribs carry a single traffic lane and a raised footpath on the north side. The second rib from the south bears an inscription recording Reverend Lucy’s expense and the year 1829. A 1921 inspection found the bridge in excellent condition, though its piers later gained concrete reinforcement. In 1991 engineers closed the bridge briefly to install steel tie bars, after which a 7.5-tonne weight limit remained in place.

Visitors approach along Bridge Street and cross the Avon on the iron deck. The handrails and ribs form a delicate frame around the river’s flow. On the north side the raised footpath offers a quieter walk above the water. The bridge’s inscription and the Lucy family’s nearby church and estate recall the same 19th-century patronage.