Abingdon Bridge
| Abingdon Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Abingdon Bridge, looking downstream from the top of Nag's Head Island |
|
| Carries | A415 road |
| Crosses | River Thames |
| Locale | Abingdon, Oxfordshire |
| Maintained by | Oxfordshire County Council |
| Design | Arch bridge |
| Material | stone |
| Number of spans | 6 |
| Piers in water | 5 |
| Construction end | 1416, restored 1927[1] |
| Coordinates | 51°40′06″N 1°16′45″W / 51.6683°N 1.2791°WCoordinates: 51°40′06″N 1°16′45″W / 51.6683°N 1.2791°W |
| Burford Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Burford Bridge at Abingdon from downstream |
|
| Design | Arch bridge |
| Material | stone |
| Height | 4.24 m (13 ft, 11 in)[1] |
| Number of spans | 7 |
| Piers in water | 3 |
| Construction end | 1453, restored 1927[1] |
Abingdon Bridge consists of a pair of bridges across the River Thames at the town of Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England. It carries the A415 road from Abingdon to Dorchester, Oxfordshire – and crosses the Thames on the reach above Culham Lock, just below Abingdon Lock.
The bridge is actually two bridges, separated by Nag's Head Island.[2] Abingdon Bridge is the northern part towards the town which has six arches and crosses the backwater and mill stream. The southern part is technically called Burford Bridge and has one main arch and four minor arches at the river and two minor arches on the floodplain. This crosses the main navigation channel. Furthermore to complete the Thames crossing, Culham Bridge crossing the Swift Ditch should also be considered as an extension.
Contents |
[edit] History
Abingdon Bridge was begun as a stone bridge in 1416, and it is recorded that the completion of Abingdon Bridge severely damaged trade at Wallingford.[3] It was constructed by a religious body known as The Brotherhood of Christ (later Christ's Hospital), assisted by local wool and cloth merchants, to replace a previous timber bridge or possibly a ferry.[4]
In 1453, "three new arches" were added at the southern end of the bridge, this becoming known as Burford Bridge. This description makes no reference to the two pairs of much small arches to each side of the central arches. There was considerable expenditure on the bridge in 1790 when Abingdon Lock was opened, following previous objections that there was insufficient draught under the bridge for navigational purposes.[3] The latest occasion when the bridge was reconstructed was in 1927.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "The River Thames – Bridge lists and statistics". http://www.the-river-thames.co.uk/bridgeheights.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-21.
- ^ "Francis Frith – Abingdon photos, maps, books, memories". http://www.francisfrith.com/search/england/oxfordshire/abingdon/abingdon.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-21.[dead link]
- ^ a b Fred. S. Thacker The Thames Highway: Volume II Locks and Weirs 1920 - republished 1968 David & Charles
- ^ "Thames Bridge Abingdon". http://thames.me.uk/s01510.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-21.
[edit] External links
| Next crossing upstream | River Thames | Next crossing downstream |
| Abingdon Lock (pedestrian) | Abingdon Bridge | Sutton Bridge (road) |
