Kerne Bridge is a hamlet in south Herefordshire, England, about 3.5 miles (6 km) south of the market town of Ross-on-Wye on the B4234 Ross-on-Wye to Coleford road. Situated on the left bank of the River Wye, it takes its modern name from the nineteenth century bridge over the river. It was once a significant stop on the now disused and abandoned Monmouth to Ross-on-Wye railway, and is now known for a popular canoe-launching site. It marks the northern start of the Upper Wye Gorge and is situated in the heart of the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The history of the hamlet began when a primitive manually-operated mill for grinding corn came to be established there. This type of mill was known in Old English as a cweorn.[1] The presence of the mill gave the name - The Cweorn - to the small settlement which began to be built up around the mill. Over time the spelling of the name of the settlement was simplified to The Quern.[2] Records show that it was still known that way until at least 1815,[3] but by the mid-1820s spelling simplification had further altered its name to The Kerne.[4] It later became known as Kerne Bridge when the bridge over the River Wye was built at the hamlet in 1828.
Railwayedit
In 1873, the Ross and Monmouth Railway line from Ross-on-Wye station to Monmouth Troy was built. It crossed the River Wye at Kerne Bridge on a single-track skew bridge constructed of plate girders. The single-track bridge was built by Edward Finch of Chepstow and was 133 metres (436 ft) long. Kerne Bridge railway station was the first initially station after leaving Ross-on-Wye, though Walford Halt at Walford was built later between them. The station closed in 1959 when passenger service on the line was withdrawn. Goods services continued to run until 1964, when the bridge was demolished, leaving the masonry abutments.[5] Nearby is a and canoe launch site based at the site of the bridge.
The station building, after many years as an outdoor activity centre, is now a private house. On the other side of the river is Flanesford Priory which is now holiday accommodation.
Governanceedit
Due to its location in the geographical centre Kerne Bridge is the name of a local government ward of . Kerne Bridge Ward contains five parishes, they are: Walford, Goodrich, Whitchurch, Welsh Bicknor and Ganarew.
Referencesedit
^"Quern", Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1980
^Votes of the House of Commons in the Second Session of the Tenth Parliament of Great Britain, 07 February 1748, House of Commons, London, 1748
^1815 Road Act, Journals of the House of Commons Volume 70, Session 1814-1815, House of Commons, London, 1816
^An Act for building a Bridge over the River Wye, at a Place called The Kerne ..., Anno Sexto, Georgii IV. Regis, Houses of Parliament, London, 20 May 1825
^Crow, Alan (1995). Bridges on the River Wye. Hereford: Lapridge Publications. p. 128. ISBN0-9518589-9-8.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kerne Bridge.
Photos of Kerne Bridge and surrounding area on geograph
Panoramic view from Kerne Bridge
Kerne Bridge in April 1963
March 16, 2024
kerne, bridge, this, article, about, hamlet, south, herefordshire, bridge, over, river, river, crossing, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material,. This article is about the hamlet in South Herefordshire For the bridge over the River Wye see Kerne Bridge River Wye crossing This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Kerne Bridge news newspapers books scholar JSTOR February 2014 Learn how and when to remove this template message Kerne Bridge is a hamlet in south Herefordshire England about 3 5 miles 6 km south of the market town of Ross on Wye on the B4234 Ross on Wye to Coleford road Situated on the left bank of the River Wye it takes its modern name from the nineteenth century bridge over the river It was once a significant stop on the now disused and abandoned Monmouth to Ross on Wye railway and is now known for a popular canoe launching site It marks the northern start of the Upper Wye Gorge and is situated in the heart of the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Kerne BridgeKerne BridgeLocation within HerefordshireOS grid referenceSO582190 Unitary authorityHerefordshireCeremonial countyHerefordshireRegionWest MidlandsCountryEnglandSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townROSS ON WYEPostcode districtHR9PoliceWest MerciaFireHereford and WorcesterAmbulanceWest MidlandsUK ParliamentHereford and South HerefordshireList of places UK England Herefordshire 51 52 05 N 2 36 31 W 51 86800 N 2 60849 W 51 86800 2 60849 Contents 1 History 2 Railway 3 Governance 4 References 5 External linksHistory editThe history of the hamlet began when a primitive manually operated mill for grinding corn came to be established there This type of mill was known in Old English as a cweorn 1 The presence of the mill gave the name The Cweorn to the small settlement which began to be built up around the mill Over time the spelling of the name of the settlement was simplified to The Quern 2 Records show that it was still known that way until at least 1815 3 but by the mid 1820s spelling simplification had further altered its name to The Kerne 4 It later became known as Kerne Bridge when the bridge over the River Wye was built at the hamlet in 1828 Railway editIn 1873 the Ross and Monmouth Railway line from Ross on Wye station to Monmouth Troy was built It crossed the River Wye at Kerne Bridge on a single track skew bridge constructed of plate girders The single track bridge was built by Edward Finch of Chepstow and was 133 metres 436 ft long Kerne Bridge railway station was the first initially station after leaving Ross on Wye though Walford Halt at Walford was built later between them The station closed in 1959 when passenger service on the line was withdrawn Goods services continued to run until 1964 when the bridge was demolished leaving the masonry abutments 5 Nearby is a picnic place and canoe launch site based at the site of the bridge The station building after many years as an outdoor activity centre is now a private house On the other side of the river is Flanesford Priory which is now holiday accommodation Governance editDue to its location in the geographical centre Kerne Bridge is the name of a local government ward of Herefordshire Council Kerne Bridge Ward contains five parishes they are Walford Goodrich Whitchurch Welsh Bicknor and Ganarew References edit Quern Shorter Oxford English Dictionary Oxford University Press Oxford 1980 Votes of the House of Commons in the Second Session of the Tenth Parliament of Great Britain 07 February 1748 House of Commons London 1748 1815 Road Act Journals of the House of Commons Volume 70 Session 1814 1815 House of Commons London 1816 An Act for building a Bridge over the River Wye at a Place called The Kerne Anno Sexto Georgii IV Regis Houses of Parliament London 20 May 1825 Crow Alan 1995 Bridges on the River Wye Hereford Lapridge Publications p 128 ISBN 0 9518589 9 8 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kerne Bridge Photos of Kerne Bridge and surrounding area on geograph Panoramic view from Kerne Bridge Kerne Bridge in April 1963 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Kerne Bridge amp oldid 1121805987, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
