A CURIOUS narrow bridge stands in the middle of open fields; the stone structure seemingly out of place without real purpose except to traverse a shallow part of the River Avon near Monkton House.
Back in the 14th and 15th centuries, when travelling by foot was much more common than wheel traffic, this route would have been direct from Monkton Farleigh and Bath via Chalfield, Broughton Gifford, Waddon, Edington and over the Downs to Salisbury. In fact, along this route, there are still public rights of way.
This part of the river has historically been fordable, but in 1725, the structure was built to replace where a tree had been laid across to enable foot and pack horse traffic to cross the river during floods. Repairs were made to the bridge in 1737 to satisfy an order for hundreds of bridges in the Bradford and Melksham areas that did not exceed £25 each. More substantial repairs to the bridge were made by the county in 1856. The Pack Horse Bridge was given Grade II listing status in 1962.
In later years, people came to know this bridge as a hunting bridge because of its convenient location along the hunting route, approximately halfway between Melksham and Staverton bridges, which are about four miles apart. When their prey swam across the river, the bridge enabled huntsmen to continue the chase without having to ford the river, the waterway being especially difficult to cross in winter.
Because the bridge connects two separate grounds, when complaints of obstruction on both ends were raised in 1949, the farmer on the Broughton side was asked to remove the debris, while the Semington Parish Council rebuffed it as not their problem and said, ‘take it to Melksham’.
The walking circuit, which includes the Pack Horse Bridge, is popular among rambler groups. Note that another piece of history can be found in the field to the left, as an intact World War II pillbox is there. The area around Semington and Whaddon sits on the General Headquarters “Blue” Line, a defensive anti-tank stop line that followed the Kennet and Avon canal in the event of a German invasion. Location: WGS84: 51:21.4600N 2:10.2511W
