I had a walk through the quaint little village of Ashover to visit an old bridge made out of flat slabstones. It is known as a clapper bridge. Ashover is a big favourite of mine as it has little gems of history to see. I parked up and walked through the little cottages and along the narrow footpath.
It was a bit muddy in parts but nothing a bit of sun wouldn't sort out. I'm hoping there's still time to get some!
It wasn't long before I arrived at the clapper bridge over the River Amber. It always looks in quite good condition but I think it's had a few repairs along the way.
Old clapper bridges are commonly seen over fords. They allowed people to walk over the water, and carts could travel alongside it back in the day.
The word 'clapper' comes from an Anglo-Saxon word, 'cleaca', which means 'bridging the stepping stones'. Retracing my steps, I passed some children and their mums. The children referred to the bridge as the 'skeleton bridge'. I think that might me a Harry Potter reference. I left them to have a paddle in the water.
In the Saxon period, Ashover was situated next to some ash trees so the Saxons named the village 'Essovre', which means beyond the ash trees.Source We do tend to abbreviate our village names and I know some of the older generation will pronounce it 'asher'.
