York Bridges – 7 Names, Map and Useful Guide

York is known for it’s scenery and history, much of which is within the city centre. Anyone who lives in or has been to York will know that it’s two rivers, the River Ouse and River Foss play a prominent role in the geography of York, including it’s structures and that includes the York bridges which, in particular cross the Ouse.

The York bridges map below gives a sneak preview of the places we will be looking at, some of which will be very familiar to visitors to York but others are a little more obscure.

As a company who not only specialises in water leak detection, but also flood damage, we are familiar with the York bridges and rivers. In fact, perhaps the most famous place in our article about Yorkshire river confluences is very close to the city centre of York, and next to York river number 6 on this list! (a lesser known one).

York Bridges – Guide

In this guide we are going to look at 7 of the main York bridges including their names, location and history. We will be making our way from the most northerly to southerly. All these York bridges are fairly easily accessible via riverside walks in York, especially close to the city centre.

In this article guide, we will be looking at:

• The name of each York Bridge
• Some recent pictures of the York Bridges
• The location of these York Bridges
• The York road that runs over the bridges (where applicable)
• The history of each bridge
• Some details about each of the York bridges (usage and structure etc)

So let’s get cracking starting with one of the less famous bridges in York:

Clifton Bridge, York (1)

Some details on Clifton Bridge in York, on the River Ouse:

• Introduction – As we said above, Clifton Bridge in York is not one of the more famous York bridges, especially in comparison to other York bridges on this list. It’s also not necessarily the most attractive. Nevertheless it does form an important function, in particular as a traffic crossing across the River Ouse, connecting areas such as Acomb and Holgate across to Clifton and Rawcliffe. Of course this is not to be confused with Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol!
• Location – Clifton Bridge is located here on Google Maps and is the most northern of the rivers on this list.
• Road over the Bridge – the appropriately named ‘Water End’
• Traffic over the Bridge – road and pedestrian
• History – this is actually one of the more modern York bridges (certainly compared to the others on this list), having been built in 1963 and opened by the Lord Mayor of York at the time in October of that year.
• Description and Construction – Clifton Bridge is made of concrete and steel.

On to our next of the York Bridges, which is quite different to all others on the list.

Scarborough Railway Bridge, York (2)

Some details on Scarborough Railway Bridge in York, on the River Ouse:

• Introduction – often known as just ‘Scarborough Bridge’ to the residents of York, Scarborough Railway Bridge (to give its full name), is unlike the other York bridges on this list. Specifically because it is predominantly a railway bridge crossing. It is situated close to York Railway Station on the train line to Scarborough.
• Location – Scarborough Bridge is located here on Google Maps
• Road over the Bridge – there is no road over the bridge
• Traffic over the Bridge – rail and pedestrian traffic (plus cyclists)
• History – the bridge was built originally in 1845 as a railway bridge, with a footpath on it. Over the years it has had renovation and reconstruction work on it, including most recently in 2015. The footpath was upgraded and widened in 2019 with access to the station improved too.
• Description and Construction – the bridge is made of stone and steel in the main.

Lendal Bridge, York (3)

Some details on Lendal Bridge in York, on the River Ouse:

• Introduction – perhaps the most famous of the York Bridges, in part because of it’s proximity to the city centre and being on the pedestrian and road route from York Station and the Bar Walls to the area near York Minster.
• Location – Lendal Bridge is located here on Google Maps
• Road over the Bridge – Station Road crosses the river to become Museum Street
• Traffic over the Bridge – road and pedestrian
• History – Lendal Bridge has gone through many changes over the years, having originally been the location of a river crossing before that. The current bridge is actually the second construction of it as, unfortunately in 1861 (whilst under construction), the previous incarnation collapsed killing 5 men. The bridge was reconstructed, with a different design and construction in 1863. It gets a new ‘lick of paint’ every few years too.
• Description and Construction – the bridge is predominantly cast iron with stone structures at either side of the River Ouse (originally to collect tolls).

One of the reasons Lendal Bridge is so well known in York is the fact that it appears on perhaps the most famous place to take photos in York (it appears on many York postcards too!). The spot is on the Bar Walls in York close to the Aviva Building looking towards York Minster.

Here is a photo taken from that spot:

It is between Lendal Bridge and Ouse Bridge where the Viking Recorder river level monitoring station is located. This is the most famous of York’s flood alert stations.

On to the 4th of our York bridges which is also a place photos of York are often taken:

Ouse Bridge, York (4)

Some details on Ouse Bridge in York, unsurprisingly also situated on the River Ouse:

• Introduction – another very well known of the York bridges is Ouse Bridge, which obviously gets its name from the river it crosses in York. Ouse bridge is the place that many photos of the River Ouse in York are taken from, and is often associated with flooding in York. Famously, it is close to here that the Kings Arms pub in York is situated. They, like a lot of riverside properties, are very used to flooding in York from the Ouse.
• Location – Ouse Bridge is located here on Google Maps
• Road over the Bridge – the creatively named ‘Bridge Street’
• Traffic over the Bridge – road and pedestrian
• History – like some of the other York bridges on this list, Ouse Bridge has been through a lot of changes over the years and various incarnations, including both Roman and Viking iterations in the area. This was around a thousand years ago, making it the oldest bridge in York on this list. The current bridge as we know it was originally constructed in 1367 but in 1564 flooding in York caused damage to the bridge so it was reconstructed and strengthened (adding an additional central arch and pillars) in 1565. It was actually dismantled in the early 1800s with the new (and current) bridge being built.
• Description and Construction – Ouse bridge is predominantly made of stone.

This video of York flooding was taken at Ouse Bridge in York:

On the subject of flooding in York City centre, checkout our article showing York Flood Maps

Skeldergate Bridge, York (5)

Some details on Skeldergate Bridge in York, also situated on the River Ouse:

• Introduction – Skeldergate is similar in size and design (Gothic style) to the upstream Lendal Bridge and is the last road bridge over the River Ouse in the city centre. It is a very ornate structure, with railings, turrets and towers as part of it.
• Location – Skeldergate Bridge is located here on Google Maps
• Road over the Bridge – interesingly, the road is know as Skeldergate Bridge
• Traffic over the Bridge – road and pedestrian
• History – Skeldergate bridge was built to connect the area around the Cliffords Tower (a very famous York landmark) and Castle Museum to the Skeldergate area, from which it gets its name on the other side, close to the areas of Bishophill and South Bank. It completed construction in 1881, having taken around three years to build at the time. It was in the past a toll bridge too.
• Description and Construction – predominantly cast iron (painted) and stone.

The Blue Bridge, York (6)

Some details on the Blue Bridge, situated on the River Foss in York:

• Introduction – the Blue Bridge in York is the smallest of the bridges on this list and also the only one on the River Foss, not the River Ouse. That said, it is very close to it. It is close to the confluence of the Foss and Ouse and is, in the main, a pedestrian bridge. As you might expect, it is painted blue! It is also situated close to the Foss Flood Barrier in York (see top left image).
• Location – The Blue Bridge is located here on Google Maps
• Road over the Bridge – there is no road over the bridge it is pedestrian pathway
• Traffic over the Bridge – pedestrian traffic
• History – the original Blue Bridge in York on the River Foss was constructed in 1738 and originally made of wood and constructed as a drawbridge. In 1768 it was replaced by a stone bridge. It has other iterations over the years, most famously in around 1930 where two cannons captured from the Crimean War (Battle of Sebastopol in 1855) formed part of the construction. The current bridge was built in 1929 to 1930 but the cannons were removed for scrap metal during the Second World War.
• Description and Construction – predominantly cast iron (painted blue) and stone.

Millennium Bridge, York (7)

Some details on the Millennium Bridge, situated on the River Ouse in York:

• Introduction – the last of our York bridges, the most southerly and the newest of all of them. It connects the South Bank area of York with the Fulford area on the other side. The design is said to be inspired by the spokes of a bicycle wheel.
• Location – The Millennium Bridge is located here on Google Maps
• Road over the Bridge – there is no road over the bridge for pedestrians and cyclists only.
• Traffic over the Bridge – pedestrian and cycles
• History – the Bridge was opened in 2001 to celebrate the Millennium and was aimed at reducing the time taken to get from the two connecting sides. Previously people would have to go a long way around via the city centre (normally Skeldergate Bridge). Below is an image of the plaque on the bridge giving more information about its construction.
• Description and Construction – stainless steel and other materials

Many of these bridges in York are close in proximity to the top 5 things to do in York, which we collated based on our local knowledge of working and living in the area.

We are experts in dealing with flood water damage for people in the York and Yorkshire Coast area, so if you have been flooded, please contact our friendly team to arrange for help and guidance. We also deal with water leaks in Yorkshire homes and businesses. As you might expect, many of our customers get their water supply from Yorkshire Water who collects, treats and supplies water from some of the rivers of Yorkshire above to supply to their network of customers across Yorkshire. Here are the local areas we cover.

At Rainbow Restoration – York & Yorkshire Coast we are experts in Leak Detection, including Commercial Leak Detection and also Water Damage Restoration, so if you need help finding a water leak or getting your property back to normal after a leak or flood, get in touch with our friendly local team who will be happy to help you with this. We are based in York.

How many bridges are there in York?

There are many bridges in the centre of York, especially if you include both the River Ouse and River Foss. There are 7 mains ones on the River Ouse, from North to South, Clifton Bridge, Scarborough Railway Bridge, Lendal Bridge, Ouse Bridge, Skeldergate Bridge, Blue Brige (at the junction with the Foss) and finally the newest, the Millennium Bridge. The last two are pedestrian / cycle bridges not for traffic.

When was Ouse Bridge York built?

Ouse Bridge in York was build 1367 but in 1564 flooding in York damaged in which required improvement work to be done to it, in particular by adding an additional centre arch and pillars in the year 1565. Interestingly, it was deconstructed around the early 1800s with the new latest version of Ouse Bridge being built as we see it today.