Information for record number MWA3293:
Packsaddle Bridge

Summary Packsaddle bridge, the site of a Medieval bridge destroyed by a flood in 1673. Traces of the stone abutments are still visible in the banks of Finham Brook, just west of the present iron footbridge in the Abbey Fields.
What Is It?  
Type: Bridge
Period: Medieval - Post-Medieval (1066 AD - 1750 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Kenilworth
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 28 72
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Scheduled Monument (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 The great flood of 1673 - one of the worst floods ever in the town - destroyed the Medieval Packsaddle Bridge, which carried traffic across the brook to the Abbey.
2 Traces of the stone abutments can still be seen in the banks of the stream immediately W of the present iron footbridge in Abbey Fields.
3 The site is within the Scheduled area of the SAM of Kenilworth Abbey (Monument Number 35115).
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Yesterday's Town - Kenilworth
Author/originator: Drew J
Date: 1982
Page Number: 106-109
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No:
Source Type: Monograph
Title: Kenilworth: The Story of the Abbey
Author/originator: Sunley, H and Stevens, N
Date: 1995
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Kenilworth Abbey
Author/originator: English Heritage
Date: 2003
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: Thomson D J
Date: 1983
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 4402
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
back to top

Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
none Scheduled Monument Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs) are those archaeological sites which are legally recognised as being of national importance. They can range in date from prehistoric times to the Cold War period. They can take many different forms, including disused buildings or sites surviving as earthworks or cropmarks.

SAMs are protected by law from unlicensed disturbance and metal detecting. Written consent from the Secretary of State must be obtained before any sort of work can begin, including archaeological work such as geophysical survey or archaeological excavation. There are nearly 200 SAMs in Warwickshire.
 		back
source SMR Card Sites and Monuments Record Card. The Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record began to be developed during the 1970s. The details of individual archaeological sites and findspots were written on record cards. These record cards were used until the 1990s, when their details were entered on to a computerised system. The record cards are still kept at the office of the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
period Medieval 1066 AD to 1539 AD (the 11th century AD to the 16th century AD)

The medieval period comes after the Saxon period and before the post medieval period.

The Medieval period begins in 1066 AD.
This was the year that the Normans, led by William the Conqueror (1066 – 1087), invaded England and defeated Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in East Sussex.
The Medieval period includes the first half of the Tudor period (1485 – 1603 AD), when the Tudor family reigned in England and eventually in Scotland too.

The end of the Medieval period is marked by Henry VIII’s (1509 – 1547) order for the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the years running up to 1539 AD. The whole of this period is sometimes called the Middle Ages.
more -> 		back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument ABBEY * A religious house governed by an abbot or abbess. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument BRIDGE * A structure of wood, stone, iron, brick or concrete, etc, with one or more intervals under it to span a river or other space. Use specific type where known. back
monument FOOTBRIDGE * A narrow bridge for people and animals to cross on foot. back
monument STREAM * A natural flow or current of water issuing from a source. back
monument TOWN * An assemblage of public and private buildings, larger than a village and having more complete and independent local government. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record