Christchurch Bridge, originally known as the Reading Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge, is a pedestrian and cycle bridge over the

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

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...

in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county of Berkshire. The bridge links the centre of Reading on the south bank with the cross-river suburb, and former village, of Caversham on the north bank. It crosses the river some above

Reading Bridge Reading Bridge is a road bridge over the River Thames at Reading in the English county of Berkshire. The bridge links the centre of Reading on the south bank with the Lower Caversham area of the cross-river suburb, and former village, of Cave ...

, and immediately downstream of

Fry's Island Fry's Island, also known as De Montfort Island, is an island in the River Thames in England. The island is on the reach above Caversham Lock at Reading, Berkshire. The centre of Reading is to the south and the suburb of Caversham to the imme ...

Design

The bridge was designed by Design Engine Architects in collaboration with engineers Peter Brett Associates, and opened on 30 September 2015. The bridge won a commendation in the 2016 Civic Trust Awards. The

cable-stayed bridge A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, normally forming a fan-like pattern ...

has a river span, which is supported by 14 pairs of cables from a mast that is asymmetrically placed on the north bank of the river. The walkway ranges in width from to and divides to pass either side of the mast. The walkway and mast are illuminated by 234 LED lights, of which 39 can be programmed to change colour.

Name

The original bridge name was a working name, and

Reading Borough Council Reading Borough Council is the local authority for the Borough of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. Berkshire is purely a ceremonia ...

held a competition for a permanent name. The new name was confirmed as ''Christchurch Bridge'' at a council meeting on 22 March 2015. The name relates to Christchurch Meadows, the bridge's landing point in Caversham, which in turn is named after Christ Church in Oxford, whose dean owned of farmland in Reading. The name also reflects more recent links between Reading and Christ Church, which was involved in the foundation of the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

Gallery

File:Reading Cycle and Pedestrian Bridge 04.jpg, The southern ramp File:Reading Cycle and Pedestrian Bridge 05.jpg, Walkway and mast File:Reading Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge 09.jpg, The bridge by night

References

External links

* * Time-lapse video of th
construction of the bridge
at YouTube Bridges across the River Thames Bridges completed in 2015 Bridges in Reading, Berkshire Cable-stayed bridges {{UK-bridge-struct-stub

Design

Name

Gallery

See also

References

External links