A collection of walks, discoveries, insights and pictures of exploring Dartmoor National Park
July 24, 2025
Beardown (Bairdown Bridge)
Robert Burnard (1848–1920), the eminent Victorian writer and photographer will be remembered for establishing the Dartmoor Preservation Association in 1883 and being part of the Dartmoor Explorations Committee, alongside as Rev. S. Baring-Gould amongst others. As a child he stayed at Tor Royal and Beardown Farms and it was during a visit to Beardown in later adulthood in 1888 (when he was around 40 year old), he took a photograph of ‘Bairdown Bridge’, which is the subject of this post.
There are several things comparing the “Then and Now”, which are fascinating about the Burnard photograph from 1888. Firstly, it shows two Victorian gentlemen stood on the parapet of the bridge, both with hats on, one of which looks like a bowler – a bygone age indeed. Secondly, in the lower left corner of the photograph there is an stone inscribed “To Spencer”. This stone was one of 25 stones which were inscribed (or at least commissioned) by Rev. Edward Atkyns Bray around 90 years earlier at the turn of the 18th century. This inscribed stone is still as prominent in the 21st century as it was then. Finally, the bridge itself – it was severely damaged by a flood around two years after the photograph was taken (on 17th July 1890) and was completely rebuilt and through comparing the structure today, it can be seen that it the new bridge has vertical sides below the arch, whereas the original was more of a semi-circular arch.
Bibliography
Eric Hemery (1983) – High Dartmoor (page 394)
The Robert Burnard photograph of Beardown (Bairdown) Bridge from July 1888. This bridge had been built by Mr Edward Bray (father of the Rev. Edward Atkyns Bray), who was the manager of the Duke of Bedford’s west country estates. He had enclosed Beardown Farm in 1780.The rebuilt ‘modern’ bridge. The sweep of the arch looks similar to the original but this structure has vertical sides from river level to the arch. There are two walkways either side at river level, which look like they may have been there also in 1888. The replacement bridge was built in 1890. Burnard took photographs of the original destroyed bridge (on 23rd July 1890, just 6 days after its demise), but the author has been unable to track down any of these.Robert Burnard picture is annotated ‘Bairdown Bridge. The Figures are C. Wotton and Bob Provis – July 1888’. Note the ‘To Spencer’ inscription on the rock in the bottom left corner of the photograph. The same view as the Burnard photograph taken in July 2025. Note the photograph clearly showing the ‘To Spencer’ inscription on the rock in the bottom left corner of the photograph.By lining up the ‘To Spencer’ inscription on the rock (bottom left) and several rocks, the July 1888 Burnard photograph can be easily superimposed onto a July 2025 picture, spanning 137 years. The amount of rock tumble in July 1888 is significantly different from that of July 2025, perhaps testament to the ferocity of the flood from 1890? Clearly, the tree canopy is also very differentA short distance upstream from the Beardown (Bairdown) Bridge is this lovely clapper (cleaca), which lies on an ancient east-west trans-moor packhorse track and possibly is 14th century in origin. This post wouldn’t be complete without tying in its story. The clapper bridge was swept away in 1793, and again, after replacement, by flood of July 17th, 1890. It was subsequently re-erected by the Dartmoor Preservation Association. What neatly completes the story is that the repair and reinstatement of the clapper and the connection with Robert Burnard and the Dartmoor Preservation Association, which he created in 1883. Burnard took a few pictures of this clapper and on one of them he has annotated “…very many happy days of my youth were spent at this spot. Just above this I caught my first trout!”
