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Portobello Bridge

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Portobello Bridge is a Grade II listed road bridge over the River Avon, linking Warwick and Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, England. It carries the A445 Emscote Road, the historic main route between Warwick and Rugby. The bridge opened in 1831. It was built by Thomas Townshend, with the design believed to be by John Nichol, the County Surveyor. It replaced the older Emscote Bridge, which dated back to at least 1625 but was demolished in 1830 for safety reasons. The project cost about £9,000.

The bridge has three brick arches with ashlar facing and decorative detailing. There are pedestrian walkways on both sides: the north walkway is late 19th-century wrought-iron with a lattice parapet, while the south walkway was added in the mid-20th century with steel railings. It was restored in 1892 and formed part of the Leamington & Warwick tramway route from 1881 to 1930. In 1857 a pumping station was built nearby to supply Warwick from the river.

Portobello Bridge and the adjacent riverbanks help maintain the green gap between Warwick and Leamington Spa.


This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 17:51 (CET).