(Image: NORTHERN ECHO)
A quiet County Durham village is home to the remains of a Roman bridge which no longer crosses the river it was built to span.
Piercebridge, near Darlington, sits beside the River Tees and appears at first glance to be a traditional village of stone buildings, historic streets and countryside.
But just tucked beyond the immediate village lies one of the area's most unusual reminders of Roman Britain.
The remains of a bridge built nearly 2,000 years ago now stand on dry land, after the River Tees gradually changed its course.
The structure once carried Dere Street, one of the most important Roman roads in northern England, across the river.
Today, visitors can explore the surviving stonework without needing to cross any water.
Why is Piercebridge's Roman bridge on dry land?
The bridge was built around the beginning of the third century AD, when Piercebridge was an important crossing point on the Roman road network.
Dere Street connected York with Corbridge, near Hadrian's Wall, helping soldiers, traders and supplies move through northern Britain.
Crossing the River Tees was an essential part of that journey.
The Romans built a substantial stone-supported bridge to carry the road across the water.
Its surviving remains include a southern abutment, sections of the bridge's stone piers and the foundations which once supported the structure.
But the river did not remain in the same position.
Over time, the Tees shifted northwards, leaving the southern part of the bridge standing away from the modern river channel.
The Romans themselves appear to have encountered this problem.
Archaeological evidence suggests that as the river moved, part of the original crossing was replaced by a causeway.
The surviving remains provide an unusual opportunity to see how Roman engineering adapted to a changing landscape.
A Roman fort lies beneath Piercebridge village
The bridge is not the village's only connection with Roman Britain.
Much of modern Piercebridge occupies the site of a Roman fort built around AD 260.
The fort was constructed to accommodate auxiliary cavalry and remained occupied until the end of Roman rule in Britain.
Its position beside Dere Street and the River Tees made it strategically important.
Piercebridge (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)
Although much of the fort is now hidden beneath later buildings, excavations have uncovered defensive walls, ditches, roads and the remains of structures inside the complex.
Parts of the north-east corner of the fort and its latrine can still be seen.
Archaeologists have also identified evidence of a civilian settlement outside the fort, where traders and other residents lived alongside the military community.
Piercebridge was therefore much more than a simple crossing point.
It was a place where soldiers, merchants and local people lived and worked beside one of the major routes through Roman Britain.
The village also witnessed a Civil War battle
Piercebridge's strategic importance did not disappear with the Romans.
More than 1,000 years later, the crossing over the River Tees became the scene of fighting during the English Civil War.
On December 1, 1642, Royalist troops moving south encountered Parliamentarian forces defending the bridge.
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The Royalists defeated the smaller Parliamentarian force, demonstrating how the river crossing remained militarily significant centuries after the Roman occupation.
Today, the village's peaceful surroundings offer little indication of the conflicts which once took place.
Can you visit Piercebridge Roman bridge?
The Roman bridge remains are cared for by English Heritage and can be visited free of charge during reasonable daylight hours.
The site is reached from near the George Hotel, with a short route leading towards the surviving stonework.
A stile and uneven ground mean access may be difficult for some visitors.
The nearby Roman fort provides another opportunity to explore the village's ancient past.
There is also a short circular heritage walk of around one kilometre, taking in the Roman remains and the historic river crossing.