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Robert Lipscomb and the Hon. Mark Rolle frequently planned to finance public amenities and during 1880 drew up a detailed scheme to build a footbridge across the mouth of the Otter River...

"The Rolle Estate is going to make the bridge for the public and as an attraction to Salterton".

"The width of the channel is to be spanned in dry weather and at low tide is only about 43 feet, but any single span would have to be 86 feet, so shifty and unstable are both banks".

The first idea was to throw a single span from the pebble ridge to the abutment or cliff on the east side, but this was too risky.  The cliff would be undermined and give way in 12 months.  Heavy floods and outrush of Spring Tides would temporarily carry away the ridge end, and "mackerel boats running for the mouth of the Otter in storms need to be able to get in shelter at high tides and their masts are nearly 30 feet high".

It was proposed that a crossing higher up the river be made of trestle-work, reaching the25 foot cliff, with an ascent via a tunnel of 60 feet to be bricked with steps."  As the mackerel boats are taken higher up the river the bridge would have a moveable piece to allow masts to go through".
Before going ahead with the scheme Mr. Lipscomb wrote to the Board of Trade, Exeter City Council and Budleigh Salterton Board of Health for their comments and the latter promptly turned down the idea.  Writing to the Hon. Mark, Mr. Lipscomb says in annoyance "The Salterton Board of Health will soon be as notorious as that at Exmouth" and to the Estate Solicitor he wrote "do you think that the Board has any right to interfere in the matter.  It is the old story – children crying for the moon. Salterton stands still and neither a railway, nor a harbour for yachts and purposes of trade are in the least likely to be provided".

South Farm Bridge continued as the only access to the east bank.  This bridge had been in existence at least since 1850.  It was narrow, built of trestle-work, constantly under water at high tide.  It was eventually replaced by South Bridge in September 1888.  This bridge was quite an impressive structure, very similar to the present one in appearance.  It was swept away in the terrible floods of February 1930, to be replaced by another wooden bridge (painted white). This bridge was ultimately replaced by today’s concrete “White Bridge” in the 60s/70s – still the only river road crossing below Otterton Bridge.

Researched and compiled by Gerald Millington, first published in the Clinton Devon Estate Magazine©2009

Sources:-
Rolle Estate Letter Books.
Photos of the three South Farm Bridges, including the wreck of White Bridge.

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