What Three Words: ///fronted.flip.overused
OS Grid Reference: SX106598
It is thought that originally, North Street (then called Back Street) led to a ford a little upstream of the present bridge, and there is evidence of a causeway under the lower section of North Street, suggesting that the river once ran along the edge of what is now Monmouth Lane before it’s meandering shifted its course in the later Middle Ages. By 1280 at the latest, Lostwithiel was linked to St Winnow parish by a wooden bridge at the bottom of Fore Street, and the settlement of Bridgend is first noted in 1327. In 1358, the wooden Lostwithiel bridge was in need of major repair and a stone bridge on the present site was completed in 1437.
Construction of the bridge required a diversion of North Street to bend round and approach the bridge. Further improvements to the bridge were the stone parapets added in 1676. East of the original arches is a large round arch and a further much smaller arch, both of which are thought to be of late 18th century date. This extension may have been needed to accommodate the river as it shifted its course to the east, or it may have replaced a wooden extension that crossed a newly cut channel of the river (the New Cut). The bridge is built principally of local stone, though the later alterations have granite dressings. A date stone (no longer legible) records this fact and can still be seen low down in the parapet by the road leading to the Parade.
The town’s fisheries for salmon and trout were once served by a weir a quarter of a mile up river from the bridge. Salmon was a major, and cheap, part of the everyday diet until well into the nineteenth century. There is a local legend that as a result of complaints from local apprentices, the Town Council once decreed that Masters should not feed them salmon more than twice a week. Versions of this story are widespread across the country, but there is no documented evidence for its truth. Frequent eating of salmon was, however, believed to be a cause many illnesses, including leprosy. The more likely truth in this belief is that any illness was caused by arsenic that drained from the mines into the river and was consumed by the fish. This did result in a decline in fish numbers, and in 1812, the salmon weir was destroyed by fishermen from St Neot, who claimed that it had been responsible for the decline in their own fisheries. Water quality was gradually improved during the 19th century and fish numbers increased.
The bridge and the adjoining beach are the iconic focus of town life. The beach offers a popular picnic spot and children’s paddling area, while the bridge is a the principal entrance to the town from the station, especially for those arriving for the annual Lostfest, and it is used annually for the parade of the Lostwithiel Giants every New Year’s eve.
Lostwithiel Giants: New Year's Eve celebrations on the bridge