Its historical importance from Roman times onward was largely as the lowest road crossing-point on the River Wharfe until the construction of the A64 Tadcaster by-pass some 660 yards (600 m) to the south, in 1978.

Thanks to its position on the banks of the River Wharfe parts of the town adjacent to the bridge are prone to flooding.

The Romans built a settlement and named it Calcaria from the Latin word for lime, reflecting the importance of the area's limestone geology as a natural resource for quarrying, an industry which continues and has contributed to many notable buildings including York Minster.

Calcaria was an important staging post that grew at the crossing of the River Wharfe on the road to Eboracum (York).

[5] The suffix of the Anglo-Saxon name Tadcaster is derived from the borrowed Latin word castra meaning 'military camp' (the plural of castrum, fort), although the Angles and Saxons used the term for any walled Roman settlement.

Tadcaster is first mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, where it appears as Táda, referring to the place where King Harald assembled his army and fleet before entering York and proceeding onwards to the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066.

[7]In the 11th century William de Percy established a motte-and-bailey fortress re-using Roman stone.

A stone base, believed to have been part of the original market cross, stood on Westgate where the Tadcaster War Memorial now stands.

[20] The present-day market is held on Thursdays in the car park of Tadcaster Social Club on St Josephs Street.

[32] Tadcaster has a long association with the brewing industry because of the quality and accessibility of the local water, which is rich in lime sulphate after filtering through Permian limestone.

In the right conditions freshwater springs, known locally as popple-wells, still bubble up near St Mary's church in the town.

[49] Tadcaster's community swimming pool, which includes a fitness suite, opened in December 1994; run as a charity.

At the end of 2007 the pool underwent repairs costing £130,000, reopening in 2008; some fundraising was through a celebrity football match, one side of which was formed from cast in television soap Emmerdale.

The tall stone chimney and ornate wrought-iron atrium are prominent features and are listed (protected) structures.

Some of the so-called Pilgrim Fathers are reputed to have planned their voyage to America in the building; an exact replica exists in Ohio, US.

Construction of the line was authorised in 1846, and much of the northern section including the viaduct had been completed when the collapse of railway investment in 1849 led to its abandonment.

[65] In early 2016, Historic England carried out an assessment of the significance of the Grade-II listed bridge to inform its restoration.

The area around the bridge, including the north end of the High Street, the houses in Wharfe Terrace, the Bus Station and the Tadcaster Medical Centre, was flooded once again in February 2022.

Designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1987, the mere is at the centre of a former lake basin that extended over an area of about 740 acres (3 km2).

[67] Scientific analysis of the mere, in particular sedimentary pollen studies, provides insight into the geological history and makeup of the local environment and allows accurate dating of events before, during and after the Devensian ice age.

[70] Due to repeated flooding, it was dismantled and reconstructed between 1875 and 1877 on foundations raised by 5 feet (1.5 m), though the tower was left untouched.

[74] Tadcaster railway station on the Church Fenton to Harrogate line closed to passengers in January 1964.