The source of the East Dart River is to the west of Whitehorse Hill on Dartmoor. It is one of the main tributaries of the river Dart. The river is approx. 9km long and joins the River Dart near to the village of Postbridge.
At Postbridge the river is spanned by an early medieval clapper bridge (possibly the twelfth century) it is an early form of beam bridge. The first documentary reference to the bridge, however, dates from 1655.
The name clapper bridge comes from the Latin – claperius – “pile of stones”.
The bridge is constructed of long thin slabs of stone which form the deck or beam of the bridge laid over stone piers.
The bridge was originally built to allow packhorses which were carrying tin to the stannary town of Tavistock to cross the East Dart River at this point.
East Dart River
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