Protection for historic stone bridge

A HISTORIC medieval bridge in rural Somerset will be protected as part of a major flood prevention scheme costing nearly £150,000.

- SAM HALL

The River Barle runs from its source at Pinkery Reservoir on the Chains plateau in north-western Exmoor, coursing through Simonsbath, Withypool and Dulverton before joining the River Exe just north of Exebridge.

The river includes the historic Tarr Steps, a 55-metre medieval clapper bridge which straddles the watercourse north-west of Dulverton, serving as a popular walking location for local hikers and tourists.

The bridge - which is a grade one listed scheduled monument - has needed to be rebuilt four times in the last 13 years due to localised flooding.

The Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) and the Exmoor National Park Authority (ENPA) are now working on a scheme which will restore some of the river’s natural floodplain, slowing the flow of the water and thereby protecting both the bridge and the downstream settlements in the years to come.

The SRA board had originally voted in March to allocate £105,000 of grant funding to allow the ENPA to develop the ‘Upper Barle restoration project’ which forms part of the SRA’s ‘enhanced programme’ for 2025/26.