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The restoration of an iconic Dorset landmark is in contention for a prestigious international award.

Grade II listed Wool Old Bridge was restored after partially collapsing in January 2018. Erosion of the bridge foundations caused the arch and wall to slip into the river and action was needed to make a well used crossing point safe.

The 2018 reconstruction was led by Dorset Highways and Dorset Council and overseen by Wessex Archaeology - engineers used temporary rock armour while a final design was concluded. The repair was completed in 20 weeks, using modern materials which have been clad in stone recovered from the watercourse and new stone sourced from the same bed used to construct the bridge 500 years ago. During the restoration, over a million litres of water had to be pumped out of the working area.

The Wool Old Bridge is a 16th Century Grade II listed structure and acts as a crossing point for the River Frome. It featured in Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbevilles. Historic England described the stone structure as one of the best examples of an Elizabethan bridge in Dorset.

Wool historian Alan Brown told 91热爆 Radio Solent reporter Laurence Herdman: "It was built in about the 15th century, I imagine by the monks of Bindon Abbey just down the road because along those times no-one had responsibility for building bridges, only local landowners or ecclesiastical houses".

In July 2019, The Wool Old Bridge Regeneration Project received the highly competitive ICE South West People鈥檚 Choice Award. Selected from a shortlist of 14 projects the Wool Old Bridge received 3,500 votes by members of the public from across the South West. The annual ICE South West Awards has become the highest regional honour for engineering and now winning projects are being recognised at an international level. After winning the South West Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) People鈥檚 Choice award, the Wool Old Bridge Restoration Project has been shortlisted for the international ICE People鈥檚 Choice Award 2019. The awards celebrate the best civil engineering projects of the year; projects that have had a positive impact on their local communities.

Other shortlisted projects for the international award include: the Northern Spire Bridge in Sunderland, the Colwyn Bay Waterfront in Wales, the Shed cultural centre in New York City and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai Macao Bridge.

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