A team of dry-stone wallers from the Mid Lancs Dry-Stone Walling Group plus a small squad of labourers (a.k.a. CROWS Neil Mc, Neil D and Kasher) spent the day rebuilding the partly collapsed section of the small packhorse bridge over Daisy Bank Clough (on footpath Blackshaw 046).
This iconic bridge is described as follows in the definitive book 'Seen on the Packhorse Tracks'*.
“ To illustrate the infinite variety of these bridges, a curiosity is the tiny but perfectly made arched bridge over the stream at the very top of Hippins Clough, near Blackshaw Head. This miniature, of course, has no parapets, is only 55 inches between the abutments, 26 inches above the water, and 60 inches wide, yet it appears to have had considerable use. It is on a track known as the Harley Wood Gate, which is essentially part of the route from Shore-in-Stansfield to Heptonstall. To find it follow the causeway stones up from Hippins Bridge to the northwest corner of that peculiar patch of ground called Staups Moor.”
* Titus Thornber. (Published by the South Pennine Packhorse Trails Trust 2002).
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| The location of the packhorse bridge. |
The detail:
The downstream section of the bridge was replaced, the clough widened and the banks straightened and re-walled. Water now flows directly under the bridge with minimum erosive undercutting of the banks.
Here's how the day went:
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| 1. Before: Partly overgrown packhorse bridge, with the downstream section in a state of rotational collapse (Photo taken Autumn 2022). |
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| 2. Unstable downstream section being removed. |
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| 3. The wooden former (constructed by CROWS) being put in place. |
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| 4. Stonework being positioned on the former and keyed into the sound section of the bridge. |
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| 5. Three of the four Neils on this job - which begs the question . . . . . . "How many Neils does it take to repair a packhorse bridge?" |
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| 6. Keystone now in place and former being removed. |
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| 7. Stress test. Will the bridge take the weight of the dry-stone walling team? Never in doubt:- arches are an exceptionally strong compression structure. |
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| 8. End of session: The completed bridge (July 2024) |
This work was possible thanks to a grant from the Peak and Northern Footpaths Society (PNFS). Their generosity and interest in this project is much appreciated.
We would also like to express our sincere thanks to Calderdale Council Highways for their contribution towards this work.
We would also like to thank Mr M Newsome, the landowner, for permitting us to undertake this work.
Thanks also to "Friends of CROWS" visitors to the bridge today: Jenny S (representing PNFS), Paul K and Andrew M.
We have some odds and ends of 'tidying-up' work to do to before the final task of installing a small plaque to acknowledge the funding from PNFS.
