The Day Battlesbridge Lost Its Bridge!
Battlesbridge may be best known today for its antiques, quirky shops and riverside charm, but this picturesque village has a fascinating industrial past. From bustling barges to a runaway traction engine, its history is certainly full of surprises!
DID YOU KNOW? Battlesbridge once lost its bridge to a traction engine! 😲 We know Battlesbridge today for its antiques, quirky shops and lovely riverside setting, but go back a few years (well… quite a few!) and it was a busy little industrial port on the River Crouch.
The name “Bataillesbregge” was recorded as far back as 1351, and people have been crossing the river here for centuries.
One bridge, built around 1845, reportedly met a rather dramatic end when a steam traction engine wrecked it! 🚂 Its replacement, the handsome cast-iron bridge you see today, arrived in 1872 and is now Grade II listed.
Back then, Battlesbridge was a hive of activity, with barges heading off to London loaded with corn, flour and hay, while coal and other goods came back the other way. The tide even helped power the local mill.
Then, from the 1960s onwards, those old industrial buildings started filling up with antiques and collectables and the Battlesbridge we know and love today began to take shape.
So next time you’re having a wander around the antiques, spare a thought for the barges, the mill… and that unfortunate encounter between a bridge and a traction engine! 😂
