Whitchurch Bridge

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Whitchurch Bridge
Whitchurch toll bridge - geograph.org.uk - 924807.jpg
Whitchurch Bridge as seen from Pangbourne Meadow
Coordinates51°29′12.5″N 1°05′06.5″W / 51.486806°N 1.085139°W / 51.486806; -1.085139Coordinates: 51°29′12.5″N 1°05′06.5″W / 51.486806°N 1.085139°W / 51.486806; -1.085139
CarriesB471 road & Thames Path
CrossesRiver Thames
LocalePangbourne, West Berkshire / Whitchurch-on-Thames, South Oxfordshire
Maintained byCompany of Proprietors of Whitchurch Bridge (The)
Heritage statusGrade II listed
Characteristics
DesignAtkins, largely to earlier designs
Total length82.1 metres (269 ft)
Width5.18 metres (17.0 ft) plus 1.3-metre footway (pavement)
Height13 feet 7 inches (4.14 m)[1]
No. of spans4
Clearance abovelimited by rail bridge to south at: 11 feet 7 inches (3.53 m)
Clearance below12 feet 7 inches (3.84 m) (at normal high, winter levels)
History
OpenedNovember 1792, rebuilt to new design opened early 1853, ditto early 1902, re-laid version opened 19 September 2014
Closedfor a few months before re-opening dates listed above
Statistics
Toll60p for cars
£4 for vehicles of over 3.5 tonnes
Location

Whitchurch Bridge is a toll road bridge over the Thames in England. It links the villages of Pangbourne, Berkshire, and Whitchurch-on-Thames, Oxfordshire – crossing the river's reach above Mapledurham Lock just downstream of Whitchurch Lock. The bridge has a weight limit of 7.5 tonnes[n 1] and is a Grade II listed structure.[2][n 2] Its 1792-built, now unrelated, residential toll house is also listed.[3]

It is one of two remaining private toll bridges across the river (the other being Swinford Toll Bridge). It is owned and maintained by The Company of Proprietors of Whitchurch Bridge begun by a consortium of ten subscribers. The Thames Path crosses the river on this bridge. It is free for pedestrians, cyclists and motorcycles.

Tolls[]

Tolls currently range from 60p for cars to £4 for vehicles of over 3.5 tonnes; or a pre-paid multiple-use Bridge Card can be bought and if registered brings tolls to 40p per use (plus a one-off £10 holder's deposit, refundable when the card is surrendered, if not lost or damaged).

History[]

Old and new toll houses

A bridge has stood here since 1792 when it replaced the ferry.[4] The structure was renewed in 1852–3, 1902 and most recently in 2014. The original charges ranged from a halfpenny (1⁄480 of a pound) per pedestrian, sheep, lamb, boar, sow or pig to twopence for each wheel of a vehicle and twopence for the drawing animal (though one and a half if an ass), so a 1⁄24 of a pound for a horse-drawn four-wheeled vehicle (equivalent to £5 in 2020).[4][5] Horses and persons using the lock for barge hauling were exempt.[5]

The owning unregistered company has a duty under the Whitchurch Bridge Act 1792 and the Whitchurch Bridge Act 1988 to maintain the Bridge "forever in good and sufficient repair" and to replace it if it becomes unsafe.[4]

Since 2006 a cheaper, computerised toll is an option for payment using proximity cards – Bridge Cards – for motorists to raise the swing-arm barrier.

In November 2008 the owners' predicted a renewal was vital within a decade and so announced application to the Department for Transport to double the toll for cars to 40p.[6] This met with more local opposition than registered support.[6][7] A public inquiry was held in June 2009 and the toll increase was approved in October 2009; the new toll came into force on 26 October 2009.[8]

From October 2013 a complete reconstruction took place, for new and stronger piling and steel spans. The white lattice iron girders of the 1902 structure were refurbished and incorporated in the design. The contractor was Balfour Beatty, the designer Atkins and the project manager Oxfordshire County Council. The project was delayed for several months by exceptional flood flows in the Thames and the new bridge was opened on 19 September 2014 and had its blessing ceremony five days later by the Bishop of Oxford. A 1902 De Dion-Bouton was driven across, carrying Bridge Company directors and a descendant of one of the original bridge promoters of 1792.[4]

The company again applied to increase the tolls. A public enquiry was held on 19 May 2015. It considered 293 written objections but approved the request: to 60p for cars (or 40p to Bridge Card holders) and £4 for vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes, on 12 August.[9]

See also[]

  • Crossings of the River Thames

Notes and references[]

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ As does the village to the north
  2. ^ The mainstream, lowest category of listed structure/building.

Citations[]

  1. ^ River Thames Alliance. Bridge heights on the River Thames.
  2. ^ Historic England. "Whitchurch Bridge (1261775)". National Heritage List for England.
  3. ^ Historic England. "The Tollhouse, Whitchurch Bridge, built 1792 (1261743)". National Heritage List for England.
  4. ^ a b c d Owners' website: History at the Wayback Machine (archived 2016-04-05)
  5. ^ a b Owners' website: Whitchurch Bridge Act 1792 transcribed and annotated with headings and headnotes from a manuscript copy by Simon Mumford at the Wayback Machine (archived 2015-01-31)
  6. ^ a b Henley Standard Item on November 2008 toll increase application
  7. ^ BBC News Protest over plans to raise toll
  8. ^ BBC News Toll bridge charge to be doubled
  9. ^ Hyde, Nathan (28 July 2015). "Whitchurch Bridge 50 per cent toll increase approved". getreading. Trinity Mirror Southern. Retrieved 22 December 2015.

External links[]


Next bridge upstream River Thames Next bridge downstream
Gatehampton Railway Bridge (railway) Whitchurch Bridge
Grid reference SU636768		 Reading Festival Bridge (intermittently present)
Caversham Bridge (road)
Next bridge upstream Thames Path Next bridge downstream
northern bank
Goring and Streatley Bridge		 Whitchurch Bridge
Grid reference SU6361676833		 southern bank
Sonning Bridge
Retrieved from ""