River Nene footbridges officially opened to link Chester House Estate with Wellingborough to Rushden paths

Bridges spanning the River Nene and one of its tributaries have been officially opened at a ceremony for the long-awaited thoroughfares.

Lord Lt of Northamptonshire James Saunders Watson and Cllr Barbara Jenney (Con), deputy chairman of North Northants Council (NNC), cut the ribbon on Friday.

Funded by the Department for Transport, the wheelchair-compliant bridges were installed last month and give access across the valley to Chester House Estate.

Cllr Graham Lawman, NNC’s executive member for highways, travel and assets, said: “The old wooden bridges have been out of use since 2015, so it’s been a project close to so many people’s hearts for years and I am delighted that the accessible bridges are now open and we have been able to reinstate this important public right of way, opening up Chester House to walkers along the Nene Valley and further enhancing our Greenway infrastructure project.

“Due to the history of the site, the teams have had to work very carefully, protecting the environment on a challenging project, including installing a unique haul road, so it is great that we have been able to come together to formally celebrate the new bridges at Chester House Estate.”

Chester House Estate, owned and managed by NNC, opened to the public in October 2021, following an extensive £17m Nationally Lottery Heritage Funded restoration project.

This project funded by the Department for Transport replaced a burnt-out bridge which had been closed to the public for the past 15 years. The second bridge is smaller and goes across the Chester House stream.

Cllr Helen Howell, the council’s deputy leader and executive member for sport, leisure, culture and tourism, said: “We are delighted the wait is over and since the bridges opened a few weeks ago, Chester House Estate is now being discovered and enjoyed by new visitors – walkers, ramblers, families, friends and community groups.

“With plenty of events taking place at Chester House over the Christmas period, now is the perfect time to take a trip to the site. Maybe you could leave the car at home and take a walk along the Greenway, entering the site over the new bridges which not only makes access to Chester House Estate and its 10,000 years of history more accessible, but allow for some great views and opportunities to discover the natural habitat along the River Nene from a new viewpoint on the bridges.”

Kier Highways started works on the historical Chester House site while part of a joint venture with WSP in 2021. They overcame a range of obstacles including transporting the structures across the floodplains at the site of special scientific interest (SSSI) while protecting archaeological findings.

James Birch, managing director for Kier Highways maintenance, said: “We’re proud to reach this significant milestone on behalf of North Northamptonshire Council and Chester House Estate and it’s fantastic to see the positive impact realised in such a short space of time.

“We’re pleased to have played some part in the rich history of Chester House and look forward to learning how communities benefit from these bridges well into the future.”

Cllr Lawman added that he hoped the next project would see a pedestrian bridge over the A45 to allow access to Irchester.