Whitchurch Bridge is a

toll bridge A toll bridge is a bridge where a monetary charge (or ''toll'') is required to pass over. Generally the private or public owner, builder and maintainer of the bridge uses the toll to recoup their investment, in much the same way as a toll road. ...

that carries the B471 road over 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 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It links the villages of

Pangbourne Pangbourne is a large village and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Thames in Berkshire, England. Pangbourne has its own shops, schools, Pangbourne railway station, a railway station on the Great Western main line and a vill ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

, and

Whitchurch-on-Thames Whitchurch-on-Thames is a village and civil parish on the Oxfordshire bank of the River Thames, about northwest of Reading, Berkshire, in close proximity to Whitchurch Hill. Opposite Whitchurch on the Berkshire bank is the village of Pangbour ...

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 ...

– crossing the river just downstream of

Whitchurch Lock Whitchurch Lock is a lock and weir on the River Thames in England. It is a pound lock, built by the Thames Navigation Commissioners in 1787. It is on an island near the Oxfordshire village of Whitchurch-on-Thames and is accessible only by b ...

. It is one of two remaining private

s across the Thames, the other being

Swinford Toll Bridge Swinford Toll Bridge is a privately owned toll bridge across the Thames in Oxfordshire, England. It crosses the river just above Eynsham Lock, between the village of Eynsham on the north-west bank and the hamlet of Swinford on the south-east bank ...

. The bridge has a weight limit of 7.5 tonnes and 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 ...

structure. Its 1792-built, now unrelated, residential toll house is also listed. The bridge is owned and maintained by ''The Company of Proprietors of Whitchurch Bridge'', who are themselves owned by the

General Estates Company The General Estates Company is a privately held company registered in the United Kingdom and incorporated in October 1900. Its current businesses include the provision of mobile home parks, and ownership and operation of toll bridges. The compan ...

, who also own

Bathampton Toll Bridge Bathampton Toll Bridge is an arch bridge in England, carrying a minor road across the River Avon (Bristol), River Avon near Bathampton, to the east of Bath, Somerset, Bath. It is a Grade II listed building, listed structure. The bridge was buil ...

across the River Avon to the east of Bath. Tolls currently range from 60p for cars to £4 for vehicles of over 3.5 tonnes. Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcycles cross for free. A pre-paid multiple-use Bridge Card can be bought that provides cost savings on tolls. The

Thames Path The Thames Path is a National Trail following the River Thames from its source near Kemble, Gloucestershire, Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Woolwich foot tunnel, south east London. It is about long. A path was first proposed in 1948 but it onl ...

crosses the river on Whitchurch Bridge. In the downstream (easterly) direction the path passes along the southern bank of the Thames through Pangbourne Meadow. In the upstream (westerly) direction it takes a more inland route through

Hartslock Hartslock, also known as Hartslock Woods, is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in a wooded area on the north bank of the River Thames to the south-east of Goring-on-Thames in the English county of Oxfordshire. An area of ...

on the north side of the river.

History

A bridge has stood here since 1792 when it replaced a ferry. The structure was renewed in 1852–3, 1902 and most recently in 2014. The original charges ranged from a halfpenny ( of a pound) per pedestrian, sheep, lamb, boar, sow or pig to two

pence A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is th ...

for each wheel of a vehicle and twopence for the drawing animal (though one and a half if an ass), so a of a pound for a horse-drawn four-wheeled vehicle (). Horses and persons using the lock for barge hauling were exempt. The Company of Proprietors of Whitchurch Bridge was promoted by a consortium of ten subscribers, and was authorised by the Whitchurch Bridge Act of 1792. Under this act, and the Whitchurch Bridge Act of 1988, it has a duty to maintain the bridge "forever in good and sufficient repair" and to replace it if it becomes unsafe. In November 2008 the owners' predicted a renewal was vital within a decade and so announced application to the

Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...

to double the toll for cars to 40p. This met with more local opposition than registered support.Henley Standar
Item on November 2008 toll increase application
/ref> 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.BBC New
Toll bridge charge to be doubled
/ref> From October 2013 a complete reconstruction took place, with 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 Balfour Beatty plc () is an international infrastructure group based in the United Kingdom with capabilities in construction services, support services and infrastructure investments. A constituent of the FTSE 250 Index, Balfour Beatty works ac ...

, the designer

Atkins Atkins may refer to: Places in the United States * Atkins, Arkansas, a city * Atkins, Iowa, a city * Atkins, Louisiana, an unincorporated community * Atkins, Nebraska, an unincorporated community * Atkins, Virginia, a census-designated place * ...

and the project manager Oxfordshire County Council. During reconstruction the bridge was closed to vehicles, but a temporary footbridge was provided. The project was delayed for several months by exceptional flood flows in the Thames and the new bridge was finally opened on 19 September 2014. A blessing ceremony was conducted five days later by the

Bishop of Oxford The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The current bishop is Steven Croft, following the confirmation of his elect ...

, during which a 1902

De Dion-Bouton De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer and railcar manufacturer operating from 1883 to 1953. The company was founded by the Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion, Georges Bouton, and Bouton's brother-in-law Charles Trépardoux. Steam cars T ...

was driven across the bridge, carrying Bridge Company directors and a descendant of one of the original bridge promoters of 1792. As a result of the delays and consequent overspend on the reconstruction, the company proposed a further toll increase and a public enquiry was held on 19 May 2015. It considered 293 written objections but approved the request to increase tolls to 60p for cars and £4 for vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes, on 12 August. In 2019 it was announced that the Company of Proprietors of Whitchurch Bridge had been sold to the

, who previously held a minority stake in the company since the late 1920s.

Gallery

File:2008-05 Whitchurch Toll Bridge.JPG, The bridge from the river, looking upstream File:Toll house by the road - geograph.org.uk - 1480723.jpg, Old and new toll houses seen from the bridge File:Whitchurch toll Bridge, Berkshire - geograph.org.uk - 1720990.jpg, The bridge looking towards Berkshire File:Whitchurch Bridge under reconstruction in 2014 (geograph 7219641).jpg, The bridge under reconstruction in 2014

Notes and references

Footnotes

Citations

External links

Whitchurch Bridge web page from Whitchurch-on-Thames village web site
* *
Independent Archive of Official Whitchurch Bridge Documents and Accounts
{{River item box, table=end , River=

, upstream = northern bank

Goring and Streatley Bridge Goring and Streatley Bridge is a road bridge across the River Thames in England. The bridge links the twin villages of Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, and Streatley, Berkshire, and is adjacent to Goring Lock. The present bridge was built in 19 ...

, downstream = southern bank

Sonning Bridge Sonning Bridge is a road bridge across the River Thames at Sonning, Berkshire. It links Sonning with Sonning Eye (Oxfordshire) and crosses the Thames on the reach above Shiplake Lock, just short of Sonning Lock. It is a brick arch bridge complet ...