Take a close look at vintage postcards of Twofords Bridge and you’ll see a single, elegant 18th-century stone arch standing peacefully over the River Lydden. Today, the same view includes a surprisingly robust steel neighbour – a Second World War structure never meant to last. Thousands of vehicles cross the pair every day, and while the twin bridges are familiar to locals, the story behind their odd coupling remains little known beyond the immediate area.
The term Motor Inn emerged at the same time, as car ownership spread, as did tarmacked roads (it’s not just compacted gravel). The road signs look like early Ministry of Transport types (the white-painted post with circular sign), which were standardised in the 1930s
‘Now’ images by Courtenay Hitchcock
In spring 1942, a small but significant upgrade quietly arrived in rural Dorset at the height of World War II. The original stone bridge – beautiful but narrow and fragile – simply couldn’t support the weight of heavy modern military vehicles. Tanks and freight bound for the south coast – utterly critical in the run-up to the Allied Dieppe Raid and, later, D-Day –demanded sturdier roads.
So, Canadian Royal Engineers erected a Callender-Hamilton (Unit Construction) bridge alongside the stone original. Designed by New Zealand engineer Archibald Hamilton, this modular steel Warren-truss bridge was only ever meant to be temporary.
Built from galvanised steel segments – like giant Meccano – it was strong, quick to assemble and has shown itself to be impressively resilient.
Dorset was one of the key embarkation points for D-Day: Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy on 6th June 1944. Troops, tanks and supplies moved through North Dorset en route to embarkation points like Weymouth, Portland and Poole, ready to be loaded onto landing craft and ships.
The bridge never intended to be a permanent structure has stayed in service ever since, passing into Dorset County Council’s control after the war.
This photograph was taken in Chapel Road, Bagber, looking towards the junction with what is now the A357, which runs left to right at the far end behind the carts. The house on the left of the picture, along with the one opposite on the main road, have since disappeared
Nearly 80 years later, this “temporary” bridge still carries all A357 eastbound traffic, while the stone bridge manages the westbound flow.
The bridge has seen only minor changes to its original design since it was erected. Timber deck repairs were carried out in 1985 and 2009. The only work of any structural significance was to strengthen the bridge in 1996 to enable it to conform to new standards in order to carry 40-tonne lorries.
Ted Taylor, Dorset’s chief bridge engineer, said: ‘We have had no real trouble ensuring that this ‘temporary’ bridge is brought up to the new standard. It was in remarkably good shape.’
The bridge was re-inspected in 2014, and found to still be in very good condition – the areas that had caused concern with a ‘slightly weary appearance’ were found to be mostly due to dirt deposits and growth of moss on the steel.
Les Lock, the project engineer, said: ‘Despite all that’s thrown at it – floodwater, mud and grit salt – after 72 years the galvanized members are still in very good condition.’
Today, it is used as a case study by the Galvanizers Association across Europe, who praise its longevity and performance as an outstanding example of hot-dip galvanised steel in action. The structure has far outlived its original purpose, continuing its role as a vital transport route, handling modern HGV traffic – a surviving piece of Dorset’s wartime history.
