New Bridge, River Thames

New Bridge
New Bridge (from the south bank of the Thames)
Coordinates	51°42′36″N 01°25′02″W
Carries	A415 road
Crosses	River Thames
Locale	Oxfordshire
Maintained by	Oxfordshire County Council
Heritage status	Grade I & II* listed
Characteristics
Design	arch
Material	Stone
Height	11 feet 6 inches (3.51 m)
No. of spans	12
Piers in water	5
Load limit	18 tonnes (18 long tons; 20 short tons)
Location

New Bridge is a 13th-century bridge carrying the A415 road over the River Thames in Oxfordshire, between Abingdon and Witney, close to the Thames' confluence with the River Windrush. It is one of the two oldest surviving bridges across the Thames and is a Grade I and Grade II* listed structure.

There is a public house at either end of the bridge: the recently refurbished Maybush Eco Inn on the south bank and the Rose Revived on the other.

The bridge consists of two spans, where the northern span crosses the river and the southern span, south of the Maybush, is dry underneath except when the river floods.

History

The bridge dates from the 13th century and is built of Taynton stone in the same way as Radcot Bridge, which is slightly older. They were built by monks on the orders of King John in order to improve communications between the wool towns in the south of England, and the Cotswold farms, and named "New Bridge" as it was the youngest out of the three bridges built at the time (the third being the Lechlade bridge, replaced in the 19th century). It was also very much longer than it is now, with 51 arches and being 726 yards (664 m) long, compared with the current 12 arches.

Whether New Bridge or Radcot Bridge is the oldest surviving crossing of the Thames is debatable. While Radcot Bridge is the older structure, it was extensively damaged during the Wars of the Roses and had to be greatly rebuilt. Further, following reroutings of the Thames in 1787, the Radcot Bridge no longer crosses the main channel of the river.

In 1644, in the English Civil War, the Battle of Newbridge was fought on the banks of the river. Parliamentarian William Waller attempted to cross in order to surround Oxford and capture King Charles, but was defeated.

New Bridge during the floods in the summer of 2007

In 2007 the area was flooded extensively.

Current status

The bridge is controlled by traffic lights, not being designed to carry modern traffic, and an 18 tonnes (18 long tons; 20 short tons) weight limit is imposed to protect its weakening structure. Further reductions are considered likely by local authorities. According to a 1996 survey, one of the arches is only capable of carrying its own weight, though it was decided that there was enough leeway to allow traffic to continue across the bridge. The likelihood of collapse is considered "slim". Local authorities have decided to enter into negotiations to buy land that could be used to build a new bridge 270 yards (250 m) upriver, believing that this is the only long-term option available. The idea of a new bridge is opposed by local residents of Standlake who would prefer to see the existing bridge remain open for light traffic only.

The bridge has national recognition and statutory protection from alteration.

The northern span is designated a Grade I listed building and the southern span a Grade II* listed building – the second-highest of the three grades of listing, designating "particularly important buildings of more than special interest".

See also

• Crossings of the River Thames

Further reading

• Toynbee, M.R. (1949). "Radcot Bridge and Newbridge" (PDF). Oxoniensia. XIV. Oxford Architectural and Historical Society: 46–52. Retrieved 27 October 2013. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)