Bretford
Bretford is a hamlet in the Borough of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is part of the civil parish of Brandon and Bretford.
Location
It is situated about 5 miles (8 km) west of Rugby and 7.5 miles (12.1 km) east-southeast of Coventry, at a junction of the A428 road (Coventry–Rugby) and the old Fosse Way. The two roads converge temporarily at Bretford, where they cross the River Avon on a five-arched, stone bridge just south of the village. The bridge is a Grade II listed building.[1] It is too narrow for two-way traffic and is controlled by traffic lights.
History
The name of the village, first recorded about 1100, is derived from the Old English bred ford, meaning "the plank ford". The reference is probably to a plank footbridge or post marking the ford across the River Avon, which preceded the bridge.[2] The original Roman line of the Fosse Way was diverted to the west in the Middle Ages to its present crossing point. The first record of the bridge is from 1279. It was said to have suffered damage during the English Civil War after which it was extensively repaired in 1653. The bridge was largely rebuilt in the 18th century to the original medieval design.[3]
In the
During the
References
- ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1365087)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ^ Watts, Victor, ed. (2010), "Bretford", The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names, Cambridge University Press
- ^ "BRETFORD BRIDGE". Our Warwickshire. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- ISBN 1-85058-642-X
- ^ "Bretford Lighting Decoy Site". Warwickshire Museum. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
52°23′28″N 1°22′12″W / 52.391°N 1.370°W