Sandwich Toll Bridge is a Grade II listed road swing bridge over the River Stour in Sandwich, Kent. It opened in 1755 on a site that had been a crossing for centuries, and has had several iterations; the current is a swing bridge that opened in 1892. Tolls were abolished in 1977.
The bridge has been part of the A256 road, a major route across east Kent. This became a significant traffic bottleneck, until a bypass opened in 1981.
A plaque on the bridge indicates there has been a tolled crossing, originally a ferry, in this rough location since 1127. [1] The crossing forms part of a former turnpike road from Sandwich to the Isle of Thanet that has existed since the late 14th century. [2] A customs house was built at the southern edge of the crossing during Edward IV's reign. [3] The ferry route was frequently dangerous and difficult, and the Mayor of Sandwich petitioned Parliament to have a permanent bridge installed. [4]
| Sandwich Bridge Act 1755 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act for building a Bridge over the Water, or Haven, between the Town of Sandwich and the opposite Shore in the County of Kent. |
| Citation | 28 Geo. 2. c. 55 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 25 April 1755 |
The original bridge was authorised by the Sandwich Bridge Act 1755 and opened that year. [3] The total cost was £1,000, of which £600 was publicly funded with the remainder coming from the Corporation of Sandwich. [4] It was rebuilt in 1773 from Portland Stone with a timber raised platform. [5] [6] A table of tolls is displayed on the side of the adjacent Barbican Gate to the south. [2] A new wooden bridge was constructed in 1856, followed by a three-arch iron swing bridge in 1892, to allow river traffic to pass through. [4] [5] [7] The reconstruction supported stone arches at the north and south ends. [5] The bridge supports the town's coat of arms on its side. [8]
The bridge formed part of the original route of the A256, a major road along the East Kent coast from Dover to Thanet. In 1962, the toll was 1 shilling (5p) for cars and 1/3 (6¼p) - 1/6 (7½p) for goods vehicles. [9] By 1965, it had become a significant bottleneck on the A256 as it could only carry a single lane of motor traffic and was the only crossing of the Stour in the local area. [10] A petition for a bypass was signed by 3,000 residents. [11] In 1973, a fund was set up to use excess monies from tolls to pay for local infrastructure. [12]
The bridge was Grade II listed in 1976. [5] Tolls were abolished the following year, with the final one being collected by the Mayor Councillor on 30 September. [2] [1] A bypass of Sandwich opened in 1981, taking traffic away from the bridge, yet it continued to attract congestion as it was used as a rat run. [13]
In 2018, the bridge began to suffer reliability problems. [14] While Kent County Council were investigating repairs, on 9 June 2019, the bridge was stuck open after shipping vessel passed through. Following emergency work, it reopened on 24 June. [15] The bridge was expected to close again in February 2020 to all traffic, including pedestrians, but this was postponed. [16] [17] The repairs eventually began in September 2020, closing the bridge for 11 weeks, costing the council half a million pounds. Further maintenance, installing a bespoke gearbox on the bridge, continued the following year. [18]
The Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing, commonly known as the Dartford Crossing and until 1991 the Dartford Tunnel, is a major road crossing of the River Thames in England, carrying the A282 road between Dartford in Kent in the south and Thurrock in Essex in the north.
Sandwich is a town and civil parish in the Dover District of Kent, south-east England. It lies on the River Stour and has a population of 4,985. Sandwich was one of the Cinque Ports and still has many original medieval buildings, including several listed public houses and gates in the old town walls, churches, almshouses and the White Mill. While once a major port, it is now 2 miles (3 km) from the sea due to the disappearance of the Wantsum Channel. Its historic centre has been preserved. Sandwich Bay is home to nature reserves and two world-class golf courses, Royal St George's and Prince's. The town is also home to many educational and cultural events. Sandwich also gave its name to the food by way of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, and the word sandwich is now found in several languages.
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The River Stour(, rhymes with "flour") is a river in Kent, England that flows into the North Sea at Pegwell Bay. Above Plucks Gutter, where the Little Stour joins it, the river is normally known as the Great Stour. The upper section of the river, above its confluence with the East Stour at Ashford is sometimes known as the Upper Great Stour or West Stour. In the tidal lower reaches, the artificial Stonar Cut short cuts a large loop in the natural river.
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The A38, parts of which are known as Devon Expressway, Bristol Road and Gloucester Road, is a major A-class trunk road in England.
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Dover is a local government district in Kent, England. It is named after its largest town, the port town of Dover. The council is based in Whitfield on the outskirts of Dover. The district also covers the towns of Deal, Sandwich, Walmer and the surrounding rural areas.
Sandwich Bay is a long sweeping inlet of the sea between Ramsgate and Deal, on the east coast of Kent, England. The coastal area consists of sand flats with their associated salt marshes and coastal sand dunes. The Sandwich Flats stretch for about five miles (8 km) along the coast. The coastal habitats are of high ecological importance.
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The Lord of the Manor is a former pub and road junction near Cliffsend on the Isle of Thanet in Kent. Two main roads, the A299 and A256 meet here and connect Thanet to the rest of the country.
Selby Toll Bridge is one of three swing bridges in the town of Selby, North Yorkshire, England. A timber bridge over the River Ouse in the town was opened in c. 1793 to replace a ferry crossing that had existed since Medieval times. The bridge provided a connection between the West and East Ridings of Yorkshire across the River Ouse, and became the furthest downstream public bridge crossing over the river until 1929, when the Boothferry Bridge was built. The moving section of the original bridge used ball-bearings and cog wheels; the bridge is believed to be the first in the world to use ball-bearings. The replacement 1970s bridge, now only carries the A19 road as the A63 bypass was opened in 2004.
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