Skip to content
The Great Britain Guide

Historic bridges · South West England

Clapper Bridge

Also known as: Pont llechfeini

Free admission

Clapper Bridge is a historic bridge in the United Kingdom.

Clapper Bridge, historic bridges in Devon

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
15 min–30 min
  • Free entry
  • Family-friendly
  • Dog-friendly

About

Clapper Bridge is a named historic bridge in the United Kingdom. OpenStreetMap heritage rating: 2/5. Coordinates: 50.5941°, -3.9112°.

Photo gallery

Heritage listing

A clapper bridge is an ancient form of bridge found on the moors of the English West Country (Bodmin Moor, Dartmoor and Exmoor) and in other upland areas of the United Kingdom including Snowdonia and Anglesey, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Lancashire, and in northern Wester Ross and north-west Sutherland in Scotland. It is formed by large flat slabs of stone, often granite or schist. These can be supported on stone piers across rivers, or rest on the banks of streams.

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.

Protected designations

  • Site of Special Scientific Interest: North Dartmoor SSSI

Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

A clapper bridge is an ancient form of bridge found on the moors of the English West Country (Bodmin Moor, Dartmoor and Exmoor) and in other upland areas of the United Kingdom including Snowdonia and Anglesey, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Lancashire, and in northern Wester Ross and north-west Sutherland in Scotland. It is formed by large flat slabs of stone, often granite or schist. These can be supported on stone piers across rivers, or rest on the banks of streams.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

Although often credited with prehistoric origin, most were erected in medieval times, and some in later centuries. They are often situated close to a ford where carts could cross. According to the Dartmoor National Park, the word 'clapper' derives ultimately from an Anglo-Saxon word, , meaning 'bridging the stepping stones'; the Oxford English Dictionary gives the intermediate Medieval Latin form , , "of Gaulish origin", with an initial meaning of "a pile of stones".

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
50.5941, -3.9112
County
Devon
District
West Devon
Parish
Dartmoor Forest
Postcode
PL20 6TH
Parliamentary constituency
Torridge and Tavistock

Sources

Other places nearby

Loading nearby places…

Nearby

More bridges in this region

Frequently asked questions

Where is Clapper Bridge?
Clapper Bridge is in Devon, South-West England, United Kingdom (postcode PL20 6TH), in the parish of Dartmoor Forest.
Is Clapper Bridge a listed building?
Clapper Bridge is officially recognised as Grade II listed building listed.
Is Clapper Bridge a protected site?
Yes — Clapper Bridge is part of the North Dartmoor SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Is Clapper Bridge free to visit?
Yes, Clapper Bridge is free to enter.
How do I get to Clapper Bridge?
Drivers can navigate to postcode PL20 6TH. It sits within the Torridge and Tavistock parliamentary constituency.