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Swarkestone is a small village on the north bank of the River Trent, about 6 miles south of Derby. It is dominated by Swarkestone Bridge and the adjoining mediæval causeway that, together, meander for nearly three quarters of a mile across the flood plain to the village of Stanton by Bridge. For about 300 years the bridge and causeway formed the Midlands' main crossing of the Trent; the only crossing between Burton-upon-Trent and Nottingham.

This photograph shows the river bridge which was rebuilt in 1795-97 after a flood had reduced its predecessor to ruins. The mediæval causeway, widened and strengthened in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, survives. Although the bridge and causeway are undersized for modern traffic, they remain heavily used today as a vital link on the A514 from Derby to the southern part of the County, connecting with the nearby network of motorways.

Swarkestone Bridge and Causeway are Grade I listed (English Heritage Building ID: 83210 Link British Listed Buildings) and a Scheduled Ancient Monument.