The footbridge dates to the quadrupling of the line through Sutton Bonington in 1873-74. It was built to a
standard Midland Railway footbridge design, the main span comprising a timber deck carried on metal
girders, with open lattice parapets supported by curved metal braces rising from the bridge deck. The
approach to the footbridge is flanked by masonry walls with substantial ashlar copings.The bridge design is
utilitarian, but is well-proportioned and functionally elegant in appearance. However, it is unexceptional in
bridge engineering terms, and is neither inventive nor innovative in terms of the use of materials. It
represents a standardised design capable of adaptation to meet different span requirements, and dates to
the consolidation phase of railway development when standardisation becomes more commonplace, and
when the widening of routes saw significant numbers of new bridges and the extension of many existing
structures. The location of the bridge within the Sutton Bonington conservation area endows it with strong
local significance in that the development of the railway would have been one of the most profound changes
experienced by the local population, when the bridges spanning the track would have been, and still remain,
the essential means of passing across the line. However, whilst the bridge is relatively unaltered, its basic
form, its modest architectural quality, and the late date of its construction weaken the claim to special
interest, and a designation recommendation is not considered appropriate.

<0> OS, 1883, 1:2500, County Series 1883 (Map). SNT2539.