The Windsor Bridge or Windsor Town Bridge, an iron and granite arch bridge over the River Thames, is located between the towns of Windsor and Eton in the English county of Berkshire. The Thames Path crosses the river here. The bridge carries pedestrian and cycle traffic, and crosses the Thames just above Romney Lock. It is a Grade II listed structure.[2]
It is likely that the first bridge on this site was built in the 12th century AD. By 1172 it is recorded that Osbert de Bray derived over £4[per year?] from tolls levied on vessels passing beneath the bridge. In 1242, permission was granted for oak trees to be felled in Windsor Forest for the purpose of constructing a new bridge between Windsor and Eton. By 1819 the wooden bridge, presumably rebuilt many times over its life, had deteriorated and it was decided to build a new bridge in new materials.
Descriptionedit
Windsor Bridge in 1866.
Construction on the current bridge was started in 1822 and it opened on 1 June 1824. The bridge has three arches, each comprising seven cast iron segments, and is supported in mid-stream by two granite piers.
Built as a road bridge, tolls were originally levied on traffic crossing the bridge. Following protests and a court case, The Mayor &c. of New Windsor and ano. v Joseph Taylor, which went to the highest court at the time, these tolls were scrapped in 1897. In the 20th century the bridge carried the A332, the busy main road between Slough and Windsor.
In 1970, cracks were discovered in some of the cast iron segments, and despite local protests, but with almost equal support, it was decided to close the bridge to all motorised traffic. All such traffic between Windsor and Eton must now travel via the Queen Elizabeth Bridge on the Royal Windsor Way (formerly the Windsor and Eton relief road)[3] 0.25 miles (0.40 km) to the west. For those approaching from Old Windsor or Runnymede, the Albert Bridge provides an alternative route via Datchet's High Street.
In 2002 the bridge was refurbished, with repairs to the structure and new parapets including integral lighting. The bridge deck was replaced using Yorkstone and seating areas provided. The bridge remains in use by pedestrians and cyclists only; it provides an excellent walking route from central Windsor to Eton's High Street, and a good viewing spot for both the river and Windsor Castle.
Proximity to railway stationsedit
Aerial view of the Windsor Bridge (left) and the Riverside railway station (right)
windsor, bridge, this, article, about, england, sydney, south, wales, cornish, windsor, covered, bridge, hampshire, vermont, cornish, windsor, covered, bridge, windsor, town, bridge, iron, granite, arch, bridge, over, river, thames, located, between, towns, wi. This article is about Windsor Bridge in England For the Windsor Bridge in Sydney see Windsor Bridge New South Wales For Cornish Windsor Covered Bridge in New Hampshire and Vermont see Cornish Windsor Covered Bridge The Windsor Bridge or Windsor Town Bridge an iron and granite arch bridge over the River Thames is located between the towns of Windsor and Eton in the English county of Berkshire The Thames Path crosses the river here The bridge carries pedestrian and cycle traffic and crosses the Thames just above Romney Lock It is a Grade II listed structure 2 Windsor BridgeWindsor BridgeCoordinates51 29 09 N 0 36 30 W 51 48583 N 0 60833 W 51 48583 0 60833CarriesThames Path Pedestrians and cyclesCrossesRiver ThamesLocaleWindsor Berkshire England UKOfficial nameWindsor Town BridgeMaintained byRoyal Borough of Windsor and MaidenheadCharacteristicsDesignArch bridgeMaterialIron and graniteHeight13 feet 2 inches 4 01 m No of spans3Piers in water2HistoryOpened1 June 1824 1824 06 01 StatisticsTollAbolished 1897LocationReferences 1 Contents 1 History 2 Description 2 1 Proximity to railway stations 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksHistory edit nbsp Plaque on Windsor Town Bridge It is likely that the first bridge on this site was built in the 12th century AD By 1172 it is recorded that Osbert de Bray derived over 4 per year from tolls levied on vessels passing beneath the bridge In 1242 permission was granted for oak trees to be felled in Windsor Forest for the purpose of constructing a new bridge between Windsor and Eton By 1819 the wooden bridge presumably rebuilt many times over its life had deteriorated and it was decided to build a new bridge in new materials Description edit nbsp Windsor Bridge in 1866 Construction on the current bridge was started in 1822 and it opened on 1 June 1824 The bridge has three arches each comprising seven cast iron segments and is supported in mid stream by two granite piers Built as a road bridge tolls were originally levied on traffic crossing the bridge Following protests and a court case The Mayor amp c of New Windsor and ano v Joseph Taylor which went to the highest court at the time these tolls were scrapped in 1897 In the 20th century the bridge carried the A332 the busy main road between Slough and Windsor In 1970 cracks were discovered in some of the cast iron segments and despite local protests but with almost equal support it was decided to close the bridge to all motorised traffic All such traffic between Windsor and Eton must now travel via the Queen Elizabeth Bridge on the Royal Windsor Way formerly the Windsor and Eton relief road 3 0 25 miles 0 40 km to the west For those approaching from Old Windsor or Runnymede the Albert Bridge provides an alternative route via Datchet s High Street In 2002 the bridge was refurbished with repairs to the structure and new parapets including integral lighting The bridge deck was replaced using Yorkstone and seating areas provided The bridge remains in use by pedestrians and cyclists only it provides an excellent walking route from central Windsor to Eton s High Street and a good viewing spot for both the river and Windsor Castle Proximity to railway stations edit nbsp nbsp Aerial view of the Windsor Bridge left and the Riverside railway station right About 80 metres 260 ft east of the bridge is Windsor amp Eton Riverside railway station served by South Western Railway trains to London Waterloo while Windsor amp Eton Central railway station up the hill 200 metres 660 ft to the south west is served by Great Western Railway trains to Slough for connecting services to London Paddington See also editCrossings of the River ThamesReferences edit River Thames Alliance Bridge heights on the River Thames Historic England WINDSOR BRIDGE 1117673 National Heritage List for England Retrieved 11 June 2015 Windsor and Eton relief road is given royal name BBC News 26 June 2012 Retrieved 21 September 2020 External links editThe Royal Windsor website The Town Bridge Windsor 1824 Retrieved 16 January 2006 Windsor Berkshire website Eton Bridge Windsor Retrieved 17 March 2010 Next bridge upstream River Thames Next bridge downstreamWindsor Railway Bridge rail Windsor BridgeGrid reference SU967772 Black Potts Railway Bridge rail Next bridge upstream Thames Path Next bridge downstreamNorthern bankMaidenhead Bridge Windsor BridgeGrid reference SU9672677245 Southern bankVictoria Bridge Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Windsor Bridge amp oldid 1137769831, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
