Found in Whitby's upper harbour this ancient ford traverses the river Esk from the east side of town at Spital Bridge to the west at Bog Hall. Believed to date back to at least the Roman period the ford is by far the oldest surviving means of crossing the river. Although now in a state of disrepair it would still be possible, with an extremely low tide and steady footing, to cross from one side of the town to the other.
In this detail of the Upper Harbour (taken from a map by Francis Pickernell dated 1841) the ford can be seen stretching from one side of the town to the other.
This modern image of the upper harbour shows quite clearly the ford as it appears today.
The ford from the West (Bog Hall)
The ford from the East (Spital Bridge)
This view is from the high level bridge looking down into the harbour, the ford can be seen in the middle distance.
Follow the link below to Chris Whitehead's Taphonomy Blog and his field recordings of the ford.
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