Bridges of York

North to south, the bridges are: A temporary bridge over the River Ouse at Clifton was built by the British Army in 1961 on the site of an old ferry crossing to handle additional vehicle traffic caused by the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Kent at York Minster.

[3] The narrow footpath, with steps on either side was removed in 2019 and replaced with a much wider bridge suitable for pedestrians and cyclists.

[6] Lendal Bridge stands on the site of a former rope-ferry where the city walls break for the River Ouse.

This was the ferry used by Florence Nightingale when she visited York en route to Castle Howard in 1852[citation needed].

[8] In 1861, permission was obtained from Parliament for a new bridge to be built, and the Corporation of York requested Thomas Page to design a replacement.

[10] In August 1892, champion diver Tommy Burns dived off the bridge, watched by several hundred spectators and afterwards "gave an exhibition of ornamental swimming".

[13] Motor traffic (except for buses) was restricted daily from 10.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. on Lendal Bridge during a six-month trial period from August 2013 to February 2014.

In 1154, it collapsed under the weight of a crowd which had gathered to greet St William of York on his return from exile.

The repaired bridge of 1565 had a new central arch spanning 81 ft, and was described by Defoe as "...near 70 foot [21 m] in diameter; it is, without exception, the greatest in England, some say it's as large as the Rialto at Venice, though I think not."

There was originally a number of buildings on the bridge, including a chapel, gaol, houses and shops; these were torn down between 1745 and 1793.

The Millennium Bridge, built to a competition-winning design by Whitby Bird and Partners,[26] was opened on 10 April 2001, having cost £4.2 million to build.

The bridge also acts a meeting place for local people, as it has a waist height shelf spanning the whole structure which facilitates sitting and admiring the view.

While riverside paths regularly flood several times a year the bridge is higher and rarely cut off by floodwaters.

Outside the outer ring-road, the Naburn swing bridge, built in 1871, used to carry the York-Selby railway until it was diverted in 1983.

[28] From north to south, to the confluence with the Ouse, these are: Many of these are small pedestrian crossings or unobtrusive modern bridges carrying main roads.

It carries traffic between central York and Heworth and was built in 1794 to designs by Peter Atkinson the elder.

[37] The Foss Bridge, a single Georgian gritstone arch with balusters, links the streets Fossgate and Walmgate.

In the early 1730s a section of the eastern river bank of the Ouse was improved, at the expense of the city, to create an area lined with trees along which the citizens could promenade.

It proved so popular that within a few years this New Walk was extended further south past the junction with the Foss by way of a wooden drawbridge.