The Soke Bridge
Alresford Bridge or the Soke Bridge was first built in 1190 as a wooden bridge. It was replaced with a more robust stone structure in the early 1300s. Despite later brick additions, the bridge remains well preserved and is amongst the earliest stone bridges surviving nationally.
"The Soke Bridge is such a hidden gem - a beautiful, tranquil oasis in the heart of Alresford!"
The Town Trust runs open days throughout the summer - see our events calendar for more information. The bridge is open to the public by kind permission of Mrs Caroline Perry.
An 'otter-cam' under the bridge has captured footage of this elusive native creature right in the heart of Alresford
A bit of history
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Henri de Blois, Bishop of Winchester and brother of King Stephen, first decided to dam the river to create a pond to provide fresh fish for the bishops' residence in Bishop Sutton and a new T-shaped town called Novum Forum (later New Alresford).
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De Blois died before the work was complete and his successor Godfrey de Lucy finished the construction of the 'Great Weir' which improved navigation on the River Itchen and linked the new town to the Winchester to London Road, which then ran through Old Alresford.
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Alresford's main market street (Broad Street) is not aligned with the Great Weir but with the original road, now called 'the little weir', which runs down Mill Hill and past the river Arle and watercress beds. When the route was changed, a wooden bridge was built to divert the road over the dam. This road is still in use today.
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The area around the bridge and Great Weir, called the "Soke", was historically administered by the Bishop of Winchester rather than the town itself, and the bridge became known as the Soke Bridge.
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The Soke Bridge is a Grade II* listed structure originally built in wood in around 1190 and replaced with the well-preserved medieval stone bridge in around 1307-8.
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Further additions and modifications have been made over time. A brick parapet was added to the downstream side in the 17th century, and the upstream face was modified with a red brick arch in 1881 when the road was widened.
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The existing bridge comprises a single gothic arch of wedge-shaped cut stone, which remains visible. Underneath the arch at water level are rectangular recesses, which may have supported a timber framework during the construction of the bridge.
