Bridging the gaps in our city's history

May 14, 2003

FYE BRIDGE STREET
(Wensum Street to Magdalen Street)

The old Fye Bridge in the early 1930s

A STREET steeped in history that officially runs from Fishergate to the premises which used to be the Jack of Newbury — now a restaurant.

Roughly from Fye Bridge to St Clement’s Church, it was originally known as Fivebriggigate or Cueria de Fyebrigge.

The river in those days was not channelled as now, but was a broad, marshy area.

There may have been a ford here, then possibly a wooden plank bridge — perhaps with five sections crossing the waterway.

Historian R H Mottram calls it Fye or Slush Bridge and Magdalen Gates were sometimes known as Filbridge (or Leper’s Gate).

And for many years, on St Mary Magdalen Day, Mr Mayor, the Sheriff Aldermen and Common Councils put on their armour to show off and rode along “Fybriggate” to Magdalen Chapel and the wrestling and shooting grounds beyond.

Fye Bridge is sited on one of the earliest river crossings in the city, the Angles of Coslany using the ford as early as 600AD. A narrow timber bridge was later built together with a timber causeway over the marshes.
Remains of this were discovered in 1896 and stretched from the Maid’s Head to Colegate.

During the reign of Henry IV, the old structure was taken down and a bridge of stone, with two arches, built. This finally fell apart in a great flood of 1570.
A new bridge was finished in 1572 and it lasted until the Corporation replaced it with a iron bridge in 1829.

After a century of service, it was decided a wider bridge was needed.
This was built under the unemployment relief scheme with help from a £20,000 grant from the Ministry of Transport.

The work took from 1931 until May 1934 — and caused chaos in Magdalen Street, where the traders were furious. Some things never change.

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