Editing St Ives, Cambridgeshire (section)

===St Ives Bridge and Chapel===
{{Main|St Ives Bridge}}
[[File:The Bridge, St Ives - geograph.org.uk - 2632940.jpg|thumb|alt=Photo of medieval stone arch bridge over river|St Ives bridge looking north towards the Free Church]]
St Ives Bridge is located on the south side of the town, and gave access to London Road, crossing the [[River Great Ouse]]. It is unusual in incorporating a [[chapel]]. A first bridge at the site was constructed of wood, in the early twelfth century. It was replaced by the present stone structure in 1426. During the [[English Civil War]] [[Roundhead|Parliamentary]] troops demolished the two southern arches to prevent [[Cavalier|Royalist]] soldiers from reaching London by this route. For a period afterwards, a wooden drawbridge was used to span the gap, but 1716 the two demolished arches were reconstructed. They were designed as [[Segmental arch|segmental arches]], not matching the [[Pointed arch|Gothic shape]] of the four surviving 1426 arches.<ref name = labrum/>

Although the roadway is only 12ft 6in wide, the bridge continued to be the only direct road access to the south until 1980 when the St Ives by-pass was inaugurated.<ref name = labrum/>

The Chapel on the centre pier was dedicated to [[Leodegar|St Leger]] in 1426. After the dissolution of the monasteries, the chapel was deconsecrated in 1539, and was used as a private dwelling. An additional two storeys were added in 1736. In 1930 the structure was considered to be unsafe, and the additional storeys were removed; the remainder was restored. The chapel is still extant nowadays, and is in occasional use.<ref name = labrum/>