Melton Mowbray Town Estate

Over 100 years ago, it was suggested by Mr Josiah Gill at a Town Meeting that the Town Estate might,

“…in time, acquire the field by the side of the Leicester Road and have a bridge across what he was going to call the river…”

Mr Josiah Gill was of course referring to the field that was purchased from Lady Wilton’s Estate in 1919 and is now known to us all as Wilton Park.

In May 2008, The John Southerington Bridge was gifted as a thank you for the support and business Melton Mowbray had given W. Southerington & Sons Ltd since 1892. The bridge is named after John Southerington, director of the company, who has been a Junior and Senior Townwarden (1982 to 1986 and 2005 to 2007) as well as being a Feoffee (2004 to present) for the Town Estate. Melton Mowbray now has a bridge over the River Eye, and 'traffic-free' access through the town centre parks.