Swinford Toll Bridge is a privately owned

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 ...

across the

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 th ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

, 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 (in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

until 1974). It carries the B4044 between

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

and Eynsham, which was the

A40 road The A40 is a trunk road which runs between London and Goodwick (Fishguard), Wales, and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road (A40) in all legal documents and Acts. Much of its length within England has been superseded by motorw ...

until the north Oxford bypass was completed in 1936. It is a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

, and has been scheduled as an

ancient monument An ancient monument can refer to any early or historical manmade structure or architecture. Certain ancient monuments are of cultural importance for nations and become symbols of international recognition, including the Baalbek, ruins of Baalbek ...

History

is an archetypal Georgian bridge built of local limestone which opened in 1769. It replaced a ferry and its construction was funded by the then

Earl of Abingdon Earl of Abingdon is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created on 30 November 1682 for James Bertie, 1st Earl of Abingdon, James Bertie, 5th Baron Norreys of Rycote. He was the eldest son of Montagu Bertie, 2nd Earl of Lindsey by his seco ...

. The toll rights and concomitant duty to maintain are by Act of Parliament. It also made the building of bridges across the river illegal for up or down stream. The bridge was completed two years later. If annual tolls outweigh annual maintenance the owners do not pay tax on that net income. This is a very rare

perquisite Employee benefits and benefits in kind (especially in British English), also called fringe benefits, perquisites, or perks, include various types of non-wage compensation provided to an employee by an employer in addition to their normal wage or ...

agreed by Parliament and

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

, rewarding the work of collecting the tolls in all financial circumstances. It provides for a similar tax-free status of formal local authorities, on their surpluses, if any. It is one of the two remaining toll bridges that cross the Thames, the other being Whitchurch Bridge. Since 1835, tolls for pedestrians have been abolished. Cycles and motorcycles are also exempt from tolls. Other classes of traffic remain subject to tolls. The tariff starts at 5p in the case of cars (without other vehicle or trailer under tow). Campaigns have been occasional to make the bridge toll-free.

Oxfordshire County Council Oxfordshire County Council is the county council (upper-tier local authority) for the non-metropolitan county of Oxfordshire in the South East of England. Established in 1889, it is an elected body responsible for most strategic local government ...

estimates that 10,000 motor vehicles cross the bridge each day. Toll collection causes delays in the peak times of day. CCTV enables enforcement against evasion. An online poll in 2006 on the '' Witney Gazette'' website showed that 87.5% of voters wanted the tolls scrapped. The bridge was put up for sale in 2009 and was sold at auction on 3 December for £1.08 million. A campaign calling for

to buy the bridge was unsuccessful.

References

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

* {{End box Bridges in Oxfordshire Bridges across the River Thames Toll bridges in England Bridges completed in 1769 Robert Taylor buildings Grade II* listed bridges in England Grade II* listed buildings in Oxfordshire Scheduled monuments in Oxfordshire

History

See also

References

Bibliography

External links