An Utterby Hidden Gem

Utterby is a Lincolnshire village, which is intersected by the A16 road.   It is an attractive village with some equestrian properties, one property which looks as though it could be where "The Good Life" is now being lived, and plenty of nice country homes.

Just off the main road is a lane, take it and you are led into another world.  A quiet, leafy lane which just reeks of money - both old, and new.   The village church lies down this lane and I'll post about it another time.   This is the Manor House, which is located right opposite the church, it was built in 1639, I believe.  

However, the thing which I was investigating was this little bridge.

It is almost parallel with the road and is so small you could very easily overlook it.

This particular bridge dates from the 14th Century, but would have replaced a much earlier one.

It is a packhorse bridge.  Packhorses were the main method of transporting goods; wheeled carts were very rare - and it certainly would not have been possible for one to pass over this narrow bridge.

From Roman times salt had been produced on the coast and transported from the coast to inland towns, along a 'salt way' and it is thought that this was on an old salt route.   It is very narrow.  Of course I had to walk across it and tried to imagine what it must have been like back in those days.  Some days I feel like an old packhorse, so it wasn't difficult.

You may wonder why I called it a gem, after all, it is only a bridge, albeit an old one.  It is one of only three surviving salt bridges left in the country.  A rare and special example of something which was important.


It is tiny and would only allow the passage of a single horse at a time.   The lack of a parapet is usually explained as allowing the laden horse to pass over unhindered.

As I walked back the lane to visit the church I notice this row of stones..

...a little detective work tells me that they are what remains of a causeway which led to the little bridge.



All this history, a mere couple of hundred yards off the main road - which I have driven so many hundreds, if not thousands of times, and I didn't know about it.

The churchyard has a wildflower area, to encourage wildlife - a delightful surprise.

Somewhere, hidden away is an old holy well, which in ancient times was considered to have healing properties.  Pilgrims who visited it left their bandages on the surrounding bushes...

A few years ago someone found the well and cleared it, but it was dry.  When he re-visited about 6 months later it had filled with red/brown water.   I couldn't find any sign of it and there were no bandages to guide me, thank goodness.