Scredington Packhorse Bridge

At Scredington, Lincolnshire, is a fine medieval packhorse bridge to which I was pleased to cycle in the summer. Despite its name, it was evidently built to accommodate carts rather than panniers. Yet its most notable feature today its proximity to a modern bridge, at about a foot’s distance. Rather than destroying the older edifice, the modern road bridge was built adjacent. Those who wish to span the brook over its cobbles may still do so; those who cannot, because they are in a motorcar or wheel chair, may employ the modern, tarmacked version. Here, the past is preserved and enjoyed, but no-one is its prisoner. Heritage, history and legacy are commendable concepts, and we in Great Britain have a great deal. Yet we must not be enslaved to it, as though we were still in some previous century. Our gospel is old, but our God is timeless; our past is fascinating, but our future- awesome.