Wallingford Bridge

Last updated

Wallingford Bridge
UK-Wallingford Bridge.JPG
Wallingford Bridge from downstream
Coordinates 51°36′02.5″N1°07′13.5″W / 51.600694°N 1.120417°W / 51.600694; -1.120417 Coordinates: 51°36′02.5″N1°07′13.5″W / 51.600694°N 1.120417°W / 51.600694; -1.120417
CarriesRoad
Crosses River Thames
Locale Wallingford
Maintained by Oxfordshire County Council
Characteristics
Designarch
MaterialStone
Total length900 feet (270 m)
Height16 feet 5 inches (5.00 m) [1]
No. of spans19
Location
Wallingford Bridge

Wallingford Bridge is a medieval road bridge over the River Thames in England which connects Wallingford and Crowmarsh Gifford, Oxfordshire (Wallingford was historically in Berkshire until 1974 reorganization). It crosses the Thames on the reach between Cleeve Lock and Benson Lock. The bridge is 900 feet (270 m) long and has 19 arches. [2] It is a scheduled monument. Since the construction of the southern Wallingford bypass in 1993, most traffic crossing the Thames at the town uses Winterbrook Bridge.

Contents

History

The first reference to a bridge across the Thames between Wallingford and Crowmarsh Gifford is from 1141, when King Stephen besieged Wallingford Castle. The first stone bridge is credited to Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, and four remaining arches are believed to contain 13th century elements. Major repairs used stone from the dissolved Holy Trinity Priory in 1530. Four arches were removed so a drawbridge could be inserted during the siege of the castle in the Civil War of 1646, and these were replaced with timber structures until repair in 1751. Following a flood, three arches were rebuilt by Richard Clarke from 1810–1812 to a design by John Treacher (1760–1836) developed in 1809, and a parapet and balustrade added. [3] [4]

Bench marks

There are three Ordnance Survey bench marks on the bridge. A cut mark over the centre of the river on the south parapet, [5] another cut mark near the east end of the bridge on the north parapet [6] and a flush bracket numbered 11 used during the second geodetic levelling of England and Wales close to the river bank on the south side of the bridge. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

River Thames River in southern England

The River Thames, known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England, including London. At 215 mi (346 km), it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the River Severn.

Wallingford, Oxfordshire Human settlement in England

Wallingford is an historic market town and civil parish located between Oxford and Reading on the River Thames in England. Although belonging to the historic county of Berkshire, it is within the ceremonial county of Oxfordshire for administrative purposes as a result of the 1972 Local Government Act. Wallingford is 12 miles (19 km) north of Reading, 13 miles (21 km) south of Oxford and 11 miles (18 km) north west of Henley-on-Thames. The town's population was 11,600 in the 2011 census.

South Oxfordshire Non-metropolitan district in England

South Oxfordshire is a local government district in the ceremonial county of Oxfordshire, England. Its council is based in Milton Park, Milton. The areas located south of the River Thames are within the historic county of Berkshire.

Streatley, Berkshire Thames-side village, Berkshire, England

Streatley is a village and civil parish on the River Thames in Berkshire, England. The village faces Goring-on-Thames. The two places share in their shops, services, leisure, sports and much of their transport. Across the river is Goring & Streatley railway station and the village cluster adjoins a lock and weir. The west of the village is a mixture of agriculture and woodland plus a golf course. The village has a riverside hotel. Much of Streatley is at steeply varying elevations, ranging from 51m AOD to 185m at Streatley Warren, a hilltop point on its western border forming the eastern end of the Berkshire Downs. This Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is topped by the 87-mile The Ridgeway path, which crosses the Thames at Goring and Streatley Bridge.

Windsor Bridge

The Windsor Bridge or Windsor Town Bridge, an iron and granite arch bridge over the River Thames, is located between the towns of Windsor and Eton in the English county of Berkshire. The Thames Path crosses the river here. The bridge carries pedestrian and cycle traffic, and crosses the Thames just above Romney Lock. It is a Grade II listed structure.

Crowmarsh Gifford Human settlement in England

Crowmarsh Gifford, commonly known as Crowmarsh, is a village in the civil parish of Crowmarsh in South Oxfordshire. It is beside the River Thames opposite the market town of Wallingford, the two linked by Wallingford Bridge. Crowmarsh parish also includes the hamlet of Newnham Murren, which is now merged with the village; the hamlet of Mongewell, and the village of North Stoke 2 miles (3.2 km) to the south.

Battersea Railway Bridge Bridge across the River Thames in London

The Battersea Railway Bridge is a bridge across the River Thames in London, between Battersea and Fulham. Owned by Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd, it links Battersea to the extreme north-east part of Fulham, known as Chelsea Harbour or Imperial Wharf, a 21st-century-rebuilt area on the south side of Chelsea Creek. The bridge is used by the West London Line of the London Overground from Clapham Junction to Willesden Junction.

Thames Path National Trail following the River Thames in England

The Thames Path is a National Trail following the River Thames from its source near Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Thames Barrier at Charlton, south east London. It is about 184 miles (296 km) long. A path was first proposed in 1948 but it only opened in 1996.

Gatehampton Railway Bridge

Gatehampton Railway Bridge, otherwise referred to as Gatehampton Viaduct, is a railway bridge carrying the Great Western Main Line over the River Thames in Lower Basildon, Berkshire, England. It takes the line between the stations at Goring and Streatley and Pangbourne, and crosses the Thames on the reach between Whitchurch Lock and Goring Lock.

Wallingford Castle Castle in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK

Wallingford Castle was a major medieval castle situated in Wallingford in the English county of Oxfordshire, adjacent to the River Thames. Established in the 11th century as a motte-and-bailey design within an Anglo-Saxon burgh, it grew to become what historian Nicholas Brooks has described as "one of the most powerful royal castles of the 12th and 13th centuries". Held for the Empress Matilda during the civil war years of the Anarchy, it survived multiple sieges and was never taken. Over the next two centuries it became a luxurious castle, used by royalty and their immediate family. After being abandoned as a royal residence by Henry VIII, the castle fell into decline. Refortified during the English Civil War, it was eventually slighted, i.e. deliberately destroyed, after being captured by Parliamentary forces after a long siege. The site was subsequently left relatively undeveloped, and the limited remains of the castle walls and the considerable earthworks are now open to the public.

Henley Bridge

Henley Bridge is a road bridge built in 1786 at Henley-on-Thames over the River Thames, between Oxfordshire and Berkshire. The bridge has five elliptical stone arches, and links Hart Street in Henley with White Hill leading up a steep hill to Remenham Hill. It crosses the Thames on the reach between Hambleden Lock and Marsh Lock, carrying the Thames Path across the river. It is a Grade I listed building.

Maidenhead Bridge

Maidenhead Bridge is a Grade I listed bridge carrying the A4 road over the River Thames between Maidenhead, Berkshire and Taplow, Buckinghamshire, England. It crosses the Thames on the reach above Bray Lock, about half a mile below Boulter's Lock. The Thames Path crosses the river here.

A4074 road

The A4074 is a British A road from the Reading suburb of Caversham to the Heyford Hill roundabout on the Oxford Ring Road.

A4130 road

The A4130 is a British A road which runs from a junction with the A404 at Burchetts Green (Maidenhead), Berkshire to the A417 at Rowstock in Oxfordshire. It passes through Henley-on-Thames, and Nettlebed, and bypasses Wallingford and Didcot.

Osney Bridge

Osney Bridge is a road bridge across the River Thames in Oxford, England, built in 1888 to replace a stone bridge which collapsed in 1885. It carries the Botley Road (A420) from Botley into Oxford. The Thames Path crosses the river on this bridge, just above Osney Lock.

North Stoke, Oxfordshire Human settlement in England

North Stoke is a small village beside the River Thames in the Crowmarsh civil parish in South Oxfordshire, 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the market town of Wallingford. Its 'Church of St Mary' is a Grade I listed building.

Shillingford Bridge

Shillingford Bridge is Grade II* listed road bridge near Shillingford, Oxfordshire, carrying an unclassified road across the River Thames in England on the reach above Benson Lock. The bridge provides access between Shillingford to the north of the river and Wallingford to the south. Originally the south side was in Berkshire but was transferred from Berkshire to Oxfordshire in 1974. The bridge is single track and vehicular passage is controlled by traffic lights.

Abingdon Bridge

Abingdon Bridge crosses the River Thames at the town of Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England. It carries the A415 road from Abingdon to Dorchester, Oxfordshire, over the reach of the Thames between Culham Lock and Abingdon Lock.

Isis Bridge

Isis Bridge is a modern road bridge across the River Thames just south of Oxford, England. It carries the Oxford Ring Road, part of the A423 road, across the Thames on the reach between Sandford Lock and Iffley Lock.

References

  1. River Thames Alliance. Bridge heights on the River Thames
  2. "Wallingford Bridge - WHERE THAMES SMOOTH WATERS GLIDE".
  3. Thacker, Fred. S. (1968) [1920]. The Thames Highway: Volume II Locks and Weirs. Newton Abbot: David and Charles. p. not cited.
  4. Ditchfield, P. H.; Page, William (1906). The Victoria history of Berkshire. edited by P.H. Ditchfield and William Page. [London: Constable]. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.28982.
  5. "Cut Mark: Wallingford Bridge, South Parapet" . Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  6. "Cut Mark: Wallingford Bridge, North Parapet" . Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  7. "Flush Bracket OSBM 11: Wallingford Bridge" . Retrieved 9 December 2016.
Next bridge upstream River Thames Next bridge downstream
Shillingford Bridge Wallingford Bridge
Grid reference SU6100389468
Winterbrook Bridge