Reading Bridge
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Reading Bridge is a road 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 ...
at
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
Lower Caversham Lower Caversham is an area of the former town of Caversham, in the English county of Berkshire (formerly Oxfordshire). Today this is itself a suburb of the larger town of Reading. Lower Caversham has no formal boundaries, but the name usually ...
area of the cross-river suburb, and former village, of Caversham on the north bank. It crosses the river a short way above
Caversham Lock Caversham Lock is a lock and main weir on the River Thames in England at Reading, Berkshire. Both the lock and main weir are connected to De Bohun Island (colloquially known as Lock Island). The Thames Navigation Commissioners built the ori ...
. The current bridge is the first on the site, and was opened on 3 October 1923. It has a single reinforced concrete main span of , which was, at the time of construction, the longest such span in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. There are also two side arches for footpaths. The span rises to a height of at the centre, giving a navigation clearance of . The bridge deck is wide and carries a wide carriageway and two flanking footways.


History

Before the opening of Reading Bridge, the only road crossing between Reading and Caversham was at the
Caversham Bridge Caversham Bridge is a bridge across the River Thames between Caversham and the town centre of Reading. The bridge is situated on the reach above Caversham Lock, carrying the A4155 road across the river and also providing pedestrian access to t ...
site some upstream, which has accommodated a series of bridges since around the end of the 12th century. In later years, a narrow footbridge across the top of the weir at Caversham Lock, known locally as The Clappers, provided a supplementary pedestrian route, especially between the
terraced housing In architecture and city planning, a terrace or terraced house ( UK) or townhouse ( US) is a form of medium-density housing that originated in Europe in the 16th century, whereby a row of attached dwellings share side walls. In the United State ...
of Lower Caversham and the factory of Huntley & Palmers, but was becoming increasingly congested. In 1871, the Corporation of Reading had obtained permission to build a
swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...
across the river just above Caversham Lock, but this was never done. However in 1911, Caversham was absorbed into the borough of Reading, and as part of the 1911 Extension Order (the parliamentary permission for this absorption), the Corporation was required to construct a footbridge between Caversham and De Bohun Road in Reading. The following year the Corporation successfully obtained permission to replace this proposed footbridge with a wider road bridge. The original plan for the new bridge was for it to be a steel suspension structure, but in 1913 this was revised to an arched bridge built of the, then new, material of reinforced concrete to a design by L. G. Mouchel & Partners. Whilst more expensive than the steel structure, it had the advantage of reduced maintenance costs and resilience to corrosion. It would also confer on Reading a modern landmark in the form of an elegant structure in a new material. The actual building of the bridge was delayed by the outbreak of the
first world war World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, but the construction contracts were finally let in 1922. The building work, by Holloway Brothers, started in March of that year, and the bridge opened on 3 October 1923. It remained the longest reinforced concrete span in the United Kingdom until 1928. By 2013 the bridge was carrying 24,000 vehicles each day and was still only one of two road crossing over the Thames in Reading. Reading Borough Council commissioned VolkerLaser to develop a strategy for strengthening the bridge. Voids in the bridge deck and the southern approach ramp were filled with foam concrete, and
carbon fibre Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...
plates were used to strengthen the structure. In 2015 the bridge was complemented by the opening of the Christchurch Bridge, a pedestrian and cycle bridge situated some upstream.


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 ...


References


External links

*
Leaflet on the history of the bridge published by Caversham & District Residents’ Association
{{River item box , River=
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 ...
, upstream= Christchurch Bridge
(pedestrian/cycle) , downstream=
Caversham Lock Caversham Lock is a lock and main weir on the River Thames in England at Reading, Berkshire. Both the lock and main weir are connected to De Bohun Island (colloquially known as Lock Island). The Thames Navigation Commissioners built the ori ...

(pedestrian) , location = SU717740 Bridges across the River Thames Bridges completed in 1923 Bridges in Reading, Berkshire Concrete bridges in England Road bridges in England 1923 establishments in England