Dorking Arch

The most elaborate of the 10 surviving Lovelace bridges from the 1860’s, collectively a unique heritage asset of the area.

In the 1860’s Lord Lovelace built 15 bridges across his woodlands in the southern part of his East Horsley estate. The bridges were made of local flint and bricks, probably from the Earl’s own brickworks. Together they made possible the extraction of timber from the woods of the North Downs by creating smooth gradients and going above existing roads and paths. The timber was brought out using horses. Ten of these bridges still exist today and sites of the remainder may be identified by the embankments leading to them and the remnants of masonry, flint and bricks remaining. 

Dorking Arch is the most elaborate of the surviving Lovelace bridges, ornamented with a line of 11 decorative arrow slits. Whilst the rest of the surviving bridges are located within empty woodland, Dorking Arch spans Crocknorth Road, a busy country highway linking East Horsley with Dorking via the North Downs, and is therefore also the most viewed of all the Lovelace bridges.

Dorking Arch is a Grade II listed structure, as are six of the other surviving bridges. Collectively, they represent a unique heritage asset of this area. 

Two self-guided heritage walks have been developed by the Horsley Countryside Preservation Society to allow people to view the Lovelace bridges. To download their walking maps go to www.easthorsley.info.