Postbridge Clapper Bridge

At one time known by some as the “Cyclopean Bridge,” some form of the now Postbridge Clapper has stood at this location for centuries. The word clapper is thought to derive from the Anglo-Saxon word cleaca, which means stepping stones, or “bridging the stepping stones.”

The Dartmoor term for the slabs is posts, which is how Postbridge acquired its name. The bridge may date back as early as the 1300s, as many of the nearby moorland farms had been established by this time. The earliest documented record of the bridge comes from a 1655 lease. The bridge also appears on John Ogilby’s Exeter to Truro road map of 1675, where it is marked as “a Stone bridge, 3 Arches Called Post bridge.”

The bridge is supported by two granite piers set into the river bed. Each consists of seven horizontally laid slabs, with a total span of over 42 feet spanning the East Dart River. It is listed as a scheduled monument and considered one of the finest and best-preserved clapper bridges in Devon. 

Near the bridge, you can find a village store and post office, a Dartmoor National Park information center, and a small pub.