A Lake District bridge with links to the 18th Century poet William Wordsworth has been snapped up – although the buyer and the price they paid is being kept under wraps.

The Grade II listed Calvert Bridge, near Keswick, was due to go to an online auction on Wednesday, but instead was bought in advance by the mystery buyer.

The bridge is named after Wordsworth’s school friend William Calvert and straddles the River Greta – the subject of one of the 18th Century poet’s most cherished works, “To the River Greta, near Keswick”.

Landwood Property Auctions, which handled the sale, said it was limited in the information it could disclose because the buyer has requested to stay anonymous along with the sale price.

It suggests that the lot – which also included a strip of nearby woodland and riverbank – went for significantly more than the eye-catching £1 starting price it had been given by Landwood Property Auctions.

A spokesman said: “The lot received a huge amount of interest since the first release and was ultimately sold in advance of the auction.”

The bridge and associated land had been pitched as a unique opportunity to own a slice of literary history and the ultimate Christmas present for someone who has everything.

At the time James Ashworth, of Landwood Property Auctions, said he expected it would sell for a little more than the price of a chocolate bar: “It’s really hard to put a reserve on this kind of lot, but as it is so unique, we expect it to generate a huge amount of interest.”

“The prospect of owning such an historic site, potentially for less than the average office secret Santa budget, is sure to capture some imaginations at the very least.”