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Culham Bridge is a medieval bridge crossing a present backwater of the
/ref> It was built as part of an improvement scheme, together with the two bridges at Abingdon and a causeway across
During the Structurae database
/ref> and part of the parapet was removed to make way for a concrete platform. The bridge was subsequently restored and is classified as an ancient monument.
File:Culham Old Bridge (South Side).jpg, Old Culham Bridge (South Side)
File:Old Culham Bridge (North Side).jpg, Old Culham Bridge (North Side)
File:Foodpath Over Bridge (East Side).jpg, Footpath Over Bridge (East Side)
File:Footpath Over Old Culham Bridge (West Side).jpg, Footpath Over Bridge (West Side)
File:Old Culham Bridge with Cottage.jpg, Bridge and Cottage
Tate Gallery - Sketch of the bridge by JMW Turner
Bridges across the River Thames Bridges in Oxfordshire Bridges completed in 1422 Stone bridges in England English Civil War Grade II* listed buildings in Oxfordshire Grade II* listed bridges in England Stone arch bridges
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
in England at Culham
Culham is a village and civil parish in a bend of the River Thames, south of Abingdon in Oxfordshire. The parish includes Culham Science Centre and Europa School UK (formerly the European School, Culham, which was the only Accredited Europea ...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
, near the town of Abingdon. The bridge crosses Swift Ditch
The Swift Ditch is a long artificial channel that formed a short-cut for river traffic to and from Oxford, across a meander of the River Thames in England. It was formerly the primary navigation channel. With the main river, it creates Anderse ...
which was at one time the main navigation channel of the River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
until Abingdon Lock
Abingdon Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England, less than 1 mile east and upstream of Abingdon, Oxfordshire, on the opposite bank of the river. It was originally built in 1790 by the Thames Navigation Commission.
The weir runs acros ...
was built in 1790. The bridge formerly carried the A415 road from Abingdon to Dorchester, Oxfordshire, but was superseded in 1928 by a modern road bridge.
It is a Grade II* listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
building.
History
Culham Bridge was built of stone between 1416 and 1422 to replace an ancient ford called Culham Hythe by a religious body known as The Brotherhood of Christ (later Christ's Hospital) who subsequently looked after its upkeep. ''Parishes: Culham'', A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 7: Dorchester and Thame hundreds (1962), pp. 27-39. Date accessed: 11 February 2010/ref> It was built as part of an improvement scheme, together with the two bridges at Abingdon and a causeway across
Andersey Island
Andersey Island is a area of flood-meadow and former flood-meadow south-east of Abingdon Bridge, Abingdon, Oxfordshire on the reach above Culham Lock in Culham, which parish it lies however maintaining close links with Abingdon by virtue of its ...
. It is recorded that the completion of Abingdon Bridge severely damaged trade at Wallingford.Fred. S. Thacker ''The Thames Highway: Volume II Locks and Weirs'' 1920 - republished 1968 David & Charles
In the early seventeenth century the Oxford-Burcot Commission
The Oxford-Burcot Commission was the first Commission concerned with the management of the River Thames, appointed by an Act of Parliament of 1605 by James I to make the stretch of river from Burcot to Oxford navigable. The Commission took respons ...
constructed a lock at the top of Swift Ditch to direct navigation under Culham Bridge and this remained the main route of the Thames until Abingdon Lock was built in 1790.
During the English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
the bridge had considerable strategic importance. After the Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...
s left Abingdon in May 1644 the Parliamentarians seized Culham Bridge, and harried the royalist food convoys on the way to Oxford. The Royalists tried to recapture the bridge and demolish it in January 1645. This resulted in a skirmish on 11 January known as the battle of Culham Bridge. Sir Henry Gage
Sir Henry Gage (29 August 1597 – 11 January 1645) was a Royalist officer in the English Civil War.
Early life
Gage was born at Haling, in Surrey, the son of John Gage and Margaret Copley. The family were Catholic and long intermarried with ...
"while boldly leading his men in a third assault on the enemy... was hit by a bullet and killed".
In the eighteenth century the road was in a very bad state, leading to an Act of Parliament for its improvement. The bridge carried the main traffic until 1928, when the modern road bridge was built upstream of it and Culham Bridge became a pedestrian bridge.
During World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
two concrete pill boxes were built on the bridge, each weighing 250 tons and carrying anti-tank guns,/ref> and part of the parapet was removed to make way for a concrete platform. The bridge was subsequently restored and is classified as an ancient monument.
See also
*Crossings of the River Thames
The River Thames is the second-longest river in the United Kingdom, passes through the capital city, and has many crossings.
Counting every channel – such as by its islands linked to only one bank – it is crossed by over 300 brid ...
* Sutton Bridge, Oxfordshire
References
{{ReflistExternal links
Tate Gallery - Sketch of the bridge by JMW Turner
Bridges across the River Thames Bridges in Oxfordshire Bridges completed in 1422 Stone bridges in England English Civil War Grade II* listed buildings in Oxfordshire Grade II* listed bridges in England Stone arch bridges