Garden Bridges
Garden bridges are ideal for creating a centrepiece where your garden or outdoor space looks rather plain.
Not only do they look easy on the eye, but they are also ideal for creating different levels within your garden.
A garden bridge is designed to go over water or shallow holes in the ground, such as:
- Water features
- Streams
- Ponds
- Ditches
About garden bridges
The garden bridge became popular in far eastern countries such as Japan. This eastern feature was often accompanied by shallow streams, as water symbolised peacefulness, tranquility and meditation.
In modern garden, bridges now come in a range of designs and can be used for a variety of purposes. Bridges are usually used for decorative purposes rather than for practicality, and can often be placed on a bed of dry rocks or stones.
The majority of garden bridges follow the classic arch design, with planks prominent in the design. There are several alternative variations of this design, and are available in a range of woods and metals.
- Single rail bridges - These bridges are traditionally arched and are made from either wood or metal (galvanised or powder coated). They tend to have four or six posts and a single hand rail for support
- Double rail bridges - Like the single rail bridge, this bridge is usually arched, although this design can also be seen in step bridges. Again it has four or six posts, but in place of a single hand rail, this bridge features a double rail protecting you from falling
- Rail free bridges - Some bridges do not feature a rail at all. These bridges are designed to only have a single arch with no rails or posts. Rail free bridges are a popular choice when it comes to decorating smaller spaces over dry beds of gravel, soil or stone
Other variations of garden bridge include:
- Rope bridges
- Picket and spindle bridges
- Plank - the most common style of garden bridge, these may be single rail, double rail or rail-free designs
- Step-up bridge
- Flat bridge