Godmanchester Chinese Bridge

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The bridge in Godmanchester

Godmanchester Chinese Bridge is a landmark of the town of Godmanchester, Huntingdonshire (now part of Cambridgeshire, England). It is a pedestrian bridge that spans the River Great Ouse and is, as the name suggests, built in an ostensibly Chinese style. The original was constructed in 1827 to designs by the architect Gallier, but it fell into a bad condition and was replaced with a replica by the local council in 1960.

The origins of the bridge are somewhat unusual. "Chinese Chippendale" had been a fashion of the mid-18th century, a time when the town was building a mansion for the Receiver General of Huntingdonshire by the river. Island Hall had included a rather smaller Chinese bridge, linking it to an ornamental island. It seems likely that this served as the inspiration for the public bridge several decades later — its white timbers are also in the Chinese Chippendale style.

	River Great Ouse	[http://encycl.opentopia.com/ edit ]
Administrative areas: Northamptonshire | Buckinghamshire | Bedfordshire | Cambridgeshire | Norfolk Flows into: The Wash Towns (upstream to downstream): Brackley | Buckingham | Old Stratford Milton Keynes (Stony Stratford, Wolverton, New Bradwell, Stantonbury, Great Linford) | Newport Pagnell | Olney | Kempston | Bedford | St Neots | Godmanchester | Huntingdon | St Ives | Ely | Littleport | Downham Market | King's Lynn Major tributaries (upstream to downstream by confluence): River Lovat (or Ouzel) | River Ivel River Kym | Old Bedford River | New Bedford River | River Cam | River Lark | River Little Ouse | River Wissey Major bridges (upstream to downstream): Harrold bridge | A428 Turvey bridge | A428 Bromham bypass A6 Bedford Town Bridge | A421 Bedford bypass | Great Barford Bridge A428 Bridge St Neots | St Neots Town Bridge | Godmanchester Chinese Bridge A14 bridge, River Great Ouse | Huntingdon Old Bridge | St Ives Bridge
Longest UK rivers: 1. Severn 2. Thames 3. Trent 4. Aire 5. Great Ouse 6. Wye 7. Tay 8. Spey 9. Nene 10. Clyde 11. Tweed 12. Eden

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