News

Update on plans to repair Old Powick Bridge

18 July 2024

Last week Worcestershire County Council announced its long awaited plans for the permanent repair of Old Powick Bridge, which saw one of the opening engagements of the Civil War and the final battle in 1651.  

Work to repair the bridge, which suffered a collapse to one of its supporting wing walls over the winter due to heavy rain and a build–up of debris, is due to begin later this summer.

According to the Council a temporary ramp will be installed into the river channel, and a working platform created on the upstream side of the river. This will aim to safeguard the collapsed area of wing wall from further damage and allow the arch and abutment to be inspected.

These temporary works will permit a detailed design to be undertaken for permanent reconstruction before final works are undertaken next year.  Approvals from stakeholders, including Natural England, Historic England and the Environment Agency, need to be granted before reconstruction commence.

The Council plan to reclaim as much of the damaged stonework from the riverbed as possible and use it to rebuild the wing wall, which will need to be fully taken down as part of the repair process.

Daniel Daniels, Chair of The Battle of Worcester Society said ‘we are delighted that work will finally commence on this crucial bridge. There is overwhelming support from the public and various organisations, both within Worcester and beyond, for the bridge's full restoration. It is vital to stay focused on this project and see it through.’

In a Worcester City Council meeting in early July, Councillor Sue Smith highlighted ‘the dithering and delay of the last six months’ and called for the City Council ‘to bring all interested parties together to agree how [the bridge] is to be repaired, to consider the reconstruction process and discuss its future’.

At the same meeting, Councillor Alan Amos acknowledged the difficult technical issues involved, but expressed his concern ‘that half a year from the bridge’s collapse not a single brick or block has been replaced’, adding that it was important ‘to keep the pressure on to get the work completed’.

Simon Marsh, Research Coordinator for the Battlefields Trust said ‘like the Battle of Worcester Society we are pleased that there is progress toward repairing the bridge, but along with the Worcester City Councillors we remain concerned about the time it is taking to progress repairs and hope that work to stabilise the structure will now proceed as planned by Worcestershire County Council’.