LOOKING a far cry from the double-arched, double-bended rustic bridge that had carried “a great and common high road leading between Lancashire and Yorkshire” at Stockbridge, built in 1671 and widened in 1754, this was the sleek new ferro-concrete bridge over the River Aire soon after its completion in 1930.

Notice the neat steps and firm footpaths going upstream along both banks.

The path on the Keighley side, providing a pleasant scenic walk towards Lawkholme, was used for cross-country running by several generations of pupils at Keighley Boys’ Grammar School.

More recent industrial development has detracted from its charm, and paths tend to be muddy.