Monument record MDR11820 - Bridge Hill House Carriage Drive, Belper Meadows, Belper

The carriage drive of the former Bridge Hill House [SMR 17039] runs through former parkland of the estate across Belper Meadows from the South Lodge [SMR 28731] on Derby Road. The South Lodge of the estate was built c. 1850 and the carriage drive is thought to be contemporary. The entrance to the carriage drive on Derby Road is defined by gate piers, a quadrant wall and gate, which are Grade II structures [SMR 28732] attached to the north-east corner of the South Lodge. There is some remaining surfacing along the route of the drive and it crosses the River Derwent over a private bridge [SMR 28730], adjacent to which is a Lodge first present on an OS map at the end of the 19th century. Late 19th and early 20th century OS maps show alternate diverging routes for the emergence of the carriage drive onto Ashbourne Road, however, the eastern route is not present on a mid 20th century OS map. Modern mapping shows that the eastern route has been subsumed by modern development and only the western route survives today. Carriages ran east along Ashbourne Road for a short distance before turning into the grounds of Bridge Hill House [SMR 17038] at the gateway opposite the West Lodge. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)