A PART of the old Abbey Bridge will remain in Evesham – albeit in a different location – after a man decided to step in to save it being “lost to history”.

Guy Stephenson has secured a number of ‘antiaccess plates’ from the bridge which were removed as part of the current rebuilding project, and he plans to make a feature of the striking metal objects in his bar, Ruby Jacks on Bewdley Street. The plates, which are an original feature of the bridge built in 1928, were designed to stop people climbing on the structure.

They have now been sandblasted and transported the short distance along Abbey Road to the bar where they are almost ready to be installed into their new home.

“They were just going to be disposed of but when I saw them I liked them and I thought I could make use of them at the pub, so I approached the bridge contractors Hochtief. Instead of me buying them, we came up with the idea of making a donation to a good cause in the town and so I decided to donate £500 to the Evesham Rowing Club and they handed them over. I didn’t want them to be lost to history.”

The plates are about 8ft by 2ft and are an elongated diamond shape with fleur de lys style spikes covering them.

Mr Stephenson, who owns several other pubs in Evesham, Pershore, Upton and Worcester, says the plates could adorn the walls of the building.