A campaigner has vowed to “fight til the end” in an effort to preserve a Victorian bridge.

Lucinda de Jasay has organised a petition to try to prevent Essex County Council from replacing Boxted bridge, which was deemed “in a weak condition” following an inspection from Essex Highways in 2018. 

But Ms de Jasay has enlisted the support of a prominent architectural historian and BBC television presenter Dan Cruickshank as she tries to bolster the Save Our Bridge campaign group.

A planning consultation will open on Saturday, January 8 as Essex County Council plans to push ahead with replacing the bridge with a more modern structure.

Mr Cruickshank visited Boxted yesterday to defend the bridge.

He said: “It’s a mini-masterpiece of late Victorian engineering.

“The bridge is there, it works, it’s interesting, it’s handsome, it makes a contribution to an area of outstanding natural beauty, and the local population love it and want to save it – what more do you need?

Gazette: Authority – architectural historian Dan Cruickshank supports the campaignAuthority – architectural historian Dan Cruickshank supports the campaign

“If that doesn’t win the day… goodness me.”

Pictures on the Essex Highways website show rust on key parts of the bridge as well as cracks in the concrete underneath the structure.

A spokesman for Essex Highways had previously said the new bridge would “improve road safety, provide suitable road widths for emergency vehicle access and reduce the risk of vehicle strikes”.

He added: “It is intended the current advisory signage which is designed to discourage the use of the route by HGVs will remain in place, however we do not anticipate usage to increase.”

Gazette: Cracks – Essex Highways do not believe the cost of repairing the bridge to be viableCracks – Essex Highways do not believe the cost of repairing the bridge to be viable

Ms de Jasay, however, argued a new bridge would mean it would increase the volume of traffic in the rural area.

She said: “If the bridge is widened, it will become a rat-run, a short-cut route – it doesn’t take much intelligence to work that out.

“I will fight til the end,” she added.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen, but there is such strong local feeling.

“(Harwich and North Essex MP) Sir Bernard Jenkin said replacing it was a waste of people’s money and there’s a lot of feeling about keeping the bridge, so I’m hopeful.”