Designed by the architect WS Chauncey and commissioned by Colonel Charles Michell, the Old Bridge was opened on 1 July 1845. It is believed to be the third oldest surviving bridge in South Africa and was formerly known as the Military Bridge due to its strategic significance. Sandstone unearthed from Table Mountain was used to construct two arches with a span of 17 ft 6 in each which allowed the bridge to carry a single traffic roadway of 12 ft.

The bridge formed part of an infrastructure campaign of the Cape Colony’s Central Roads Board aimed at establishing better roads between Cape Town and outposts on the other side of the Hottentots-Holland mountains. The completion of the Old Bridge in conjunction with the completion of Sir Lowry’s Pass ensured satisfactory communication between military headquarters and outposts.

The Old Bridge was decommissioned in 1938 upon the completion of the adjacent downstream bridge currently in use. It was also declared a National Monument as well as a Provincial Heritage Site.

In 1952 the bridge was used in the tercentenary celebration of Jan van Riebeeck’s arrival in the Cape where a six foot slab of wet concrete was laid across the midsection of the bridge. A horse cart and six horses drove across the concrete and left imprints that are still visible to this day.

Jan Joubert’s Gat Bridge situated on the Franschhoek Mountain pass was built in 1825 and is the oldest stone bridge still in use. The Victoria Bridge near Fort Beaufort in the Eastern Cape province was completed in 1843 and is the second oldest bridge in South Africa.

The Lourens river was formerly known as the “Tweederivier” since it was the second river discovered by European settlers. It was later renamed after Corporal Lourens Visser for his outstanding work at the cattle post on the banks of the river.