The Green Oak Carpentry Company received a commission from the National Trust to reconstruct the original Chinese Bridge at Croome Court in 2014. After passing to the National Trust in 1996, Croome underwent extensive renovations. The original designs by master carpenter William Halfpenny in 1749, proved an invaluable source for accurate reconstruction, and gave precise timber section sizes, used to create our 3D model and subsequent fabrication drawings.  

The original bridge was built for the 6th Earl of Coventry in 1751 and the exact location and width of the new bridge verified by archaeological investigation. The bridge pylons were set in the moat onto new caissons, and utilised fresh sawn oak above water and Greenheart below. Greenheart is used for the fabrication of sea groynes for coastal defences and is an extremely durable and hard-wearing timber.

See painting by Richard Wilson in 1758, juxtaposed with a photo of the bridge as it is today. The original bridge appears to have been painted white. What is unclear is whether this is artistic license or an accurate depiction. We investigated the use of oil bound distempers which undoubtedly would improve longevity of the structure; however, for the time being at least, the decision has been made not to paint the bridge.

The bridge is the product of collaboration between the National Trust, the Green Oak Carpentry Company and the Morton Partnership Consulting Engineers, who ably guided the project and are conservation accredited engineers. Carpentry work began in March 2015, with the bridge opening to the public in June.