The Battle of the Bridge
The Battle of the Bridge was a community play based on a true story.
In 1275 the townspeople of Stoke Ferry built a bridge to avoid Prior Richard’s high charges to use the ferry he owned across the River Wissey. The Prior knocked the bridge down but the townspeople took him to the Clackclose Hundred Court. They won their case, and the Prior was compelled to rebuild the bridge at his own expense!
The final text of the play was based on improvisations by members of the local community in a series of drama workshops organised with Wissey Valley Arts. It was performed at the 2007 Stoke Ferry festival in the square which had been surrounded by inns in medieval times.
The video of the two performances was shot for Wissey Valley Arts and Lynx Theatre and Poetry by Andrew Smith, and an excerpt is included here.
