Maidenhead Bridge
Encyclopedia
Maidenhead Bridge is a Grade I listed bridge
carrying the A4 road over the River Thames
between Maidenhead
, Berkshire
and Taplow
, Buckinghamshire
, England. It crosses the Thames on the reach above Bray Lock
, about half a mile below Boulter's Lock
.
to Reading
, Gloucester
and Bristol
was diverted over the new bridge - previously it kept to the north bank crossed the Thames by ford
at Cookham
- and mediaeval
Maidenhead grew up around it. Within a few years a wharf was constructed next to the bridge and the South Ellington name was dropped with the area becoming known as Maidenhythe (literally meaning "new wharf"). The earliest record of this name change is in the Bray Court manorial rolls of 1296.
In 1297 a grant of pontage
for the charge of tolls for repairs to the bridge was awarded and a replacement bridge was constructed. The event is recorded in the Patent Rolls
of Edward I
as a...
Only a century later the bridge had again fallen in to disrepair and during the reign of Henry VI
was so unsafe that most travellers preferred to cross using the ferry
. Since it was first built, the bridge had a hermitage and chapel attached so that travellers could pray for safe passage over the bridge or to give thanks for a safe crossing. Another chapel in the town lent its name to The Guild of St Andrew and St Mary Magdelene which was formed in 1452 to repair the bridge and to maintain the chapel after which it was named. The guild levied tolls for use of the bridge and although it was dissolved by Edward VI
during the Reformation
in 1547 it was reinstated in 1581 when Queen Elizabeth I
granted Maidenhead a Charter of Incorporation and the guild's bridge maintenance duties were transferred to the new Corporation who employed one warden, two bridgemasters and eight burgesses dedicated to the upkeep of the bridge and the collection of tolls. The corporation was specifically not permitted to rebuild the chapel but were allowed to levy toll and hold a weekly market and two annual fairs. The charter was renewed by James I
who added a Whit Wednesday
fair and the right to take three oaks per year from the Royal Forest of Bray.
During the Civil War
the bridge again fell in to disrepair with Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester
, a commander of Parliamentary forces reporting on 25 September 1644 that his army being "constrained to wait at Uxbridge as Maidenhead Bridge is broken". Colonel Whitcote the Parliamentary Commander at Maidenhead acquired seven oaks with which to effect repairs but by 1660 it was again in a dangerous state.
The bridge wardens petitoned the restored monarch - Charles II
- in 1672 but had to wait until 1679 for a warrant for 20 oaks to be issued. On the accession of James II
all of the benefits granted by James I were restored and the senior bridge warden was made Mayor. When William of Orange
landed in 1688 the town, still loyal to James followed the order of the King and broke the bridge to prevent William crossing however their efforts were cosmetic and William's army was able to march across it a matter of days later.
Although James' restoration of benefits included the annual quota of oaks, in 1714 the corporation complained to the Lord Treasurer about the poor quality of the trees. The corporation also claimed that bridge revenues were adversely affected by the opening of a toll-free bridge in Datchet
but their request for compensation was refused. A further eighteen years passed before the treasury granted a warrant for 23 oaks.
Two designs were submitted. Mr Fuller White proposed a timber structure and Robert Taylor
a thirteen-arch
Portland stone bridge. The corporation preferred Taylor's design but demanded that the original cost of £25,000 (equivalent to £ today) be reduced. Taylor therefore modified the design so that only the river arches were of Portland stone, the rest in brick.
The rebuilding was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1771 and Taylor's design was built by John Townsend of Oxford
(builder of Swinford Bridge) at a total cost of £19,000 (equivalent to £ today). Works were delayed until a temporary ferry had been constructed and the foundation stone was laid by the Mayor of Maidenhead on 19 October 1772. After delays caused by ice, frost and flooding the centre arch was completed in 1775. The new bridge was finished and finally opened for traffic in 1777.
In 1966 Nikolaus Pevsner
recorded it in his Buildings of Berkshire
as "a beautiful piece of 1772–7.... seven main water-arches with rock rustication
on the voussoir
s... fine balustrade
".
(equivalent to £10 today). By the 1830s the bridge was recorded as raising £1,245 per annum in tolls (equivalent to £ today). It remained a toll bridge
until 1903, after an Eton
man named Joseph Taylor, who had already made a successful legal challenge against the tolls on Windsor Bridge
petitioned the Charity Commissioners in 1902 that the toll was illegal as the funds raised had been used by the Maidenhead Corporation for purposes other than bridge maintenance - a fact freely admitted by the town clerk. The Charity Commission agreed that the toll was illegal and an Act of Parliament
was passed in 1903 which legislated for tolls to cease after 31 October 1903. A large crowd gathered at the bridge and in the first moments of 1 November 1903 they removed the toll gates and threw them in to the Thames. The tolls in 1903 were 1 shilling (equivalent to £ today) for a coach and horses, sixpence (equivalent to £ today) for a car and 10 old pence (equivalent to £ today) for twenty sheep.
.
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
carrying the A4 road over the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
between Maidenhead
Maidenhead
Maidenhead is a town and unparished area within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It lies on the River Thames and is situated west of Charing Cross in London.-History:...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
and Taplow
Taplow
Taplow is a village and civil parish within South Bucks district in Buckinghamshire, England. It sits on the east bank of the River Thames facing Maidenhead on the opposite bank. Taplow railway station is situated near the A4 south of the village....
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England. It crosses the Thames on the reach above Bray Lock
Bray Lock
Bray Lock is a lock and weir on the River Thames in England near Bray and Dorney and is just above the M4 Bridge across the Thames. The lock is on the Buckinghamshire side of the river on the opposite bank from Bray itself and Maidenhead which are in Berkshire...
, about half a mile below Boulter's Lock
Boulter's Lock
Boulter's Lock is a lock and weir on the River Thames in England on the eastern side of Maidenhead, Berkshire. A lock was first built here by the Thames Navigation Commission in 1772. The lock is on the western side of the river between the main Maidenhead to Cookham road and Ray Mill Island...
.
History
The first bridge was built out of wood in 1280 in what was then the hamlet of South Ellington. The Great West RoadGreat West Road
The Great West Road may refer to:*A4 road from London to Bath and Bristol, England*The Golden Mile in West London, part of the above*Great West Road, Zambia...
to Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
and Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
was diverted over the new bridge - previously it kept to the north bank crossed the Thames by ford
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
at Cookham
Cookham
Cookham is a village and civil parish in the north-easternmost corner of Berkshire in England, on the River Thames, notable as the home of the artist Stanley Spencer. It lies north of Maidenhead close to the border with Buckinghamshire...
- and mediaeval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
Maidenhead grew up around it. Within a few years a wharf was constructed next to the bridge and the South Ellington name was dropped with the area becoming known as Maidenhythe (literally meaning "new wharf"). The earliest record of this name change is in the Bray Court manorial rolls of 1296.
In 1297 a grant of pontage
Pontage
Pontage was a medieval toll levied for the building or repair of bridges.Pontage was similar in nature to murage and pavage ....
for the charge of tolls for repairs to the bridge was awarded and a replacement bridge was constructed. The event is recorded in the Patent Rolls
Patent Rolls
The Patent Rolls are primary sources for English history, a record of the King of England's correspondence, starting in 1202....
of Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
as a...
"grant at the instance of Will. de Berford in aid of the bridge of Maidenhead which is almost broken down, of pontage (tolls) for three years, to be taken at the hands of two good and lawful men appointed by him."In 1335 another three years pontage was granted to the "baliffs and good men of Maidenhythe" on wares passing under or over the bridge.
Only a century later the bridge had again fallen in to disrepair and during the reign of Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
was so unsafe that most travellers preferred to cross using the ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
. Since it was first built, the bridge had a hermitage and chapel attached so that travellers could pray for safe passage over the bridge or to give thanks for a safe crossing. Another chapel in the town lent its name to The Guild of St Andrew and St Mary Magdelene which was formed in 1452 to repair the bridge and to maintain the chapel after which it was named. The guild levied tolls for use of the bridge and although it was dissolved by Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
during the Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
in 1547 it was reinstated in 1581 when Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
granted Maidenhead a Charter of Incorporation and the guild's bridge maintenance duties were transferred to the new Corporation who employed one warden, two bridgemasters and eight burgesses dedicated to the upkeep of the bridge and the collection of tolls. The corporation was specifically not permitted to rebuild the chapel but were allowed to levy toll and hold a weekly market and two annual fairs. The charter was renewed by James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
who added a Whit Wednesday
Whitsun
Whitsun is the name used in the UK for the Christian festival of Pentecost, the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ's disciples...
fair and the right to take three oaks per year from the Royal Forest of Bray.
During the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
the bridge again fell in to disrepair with Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester
Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester
Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester KG, KB, FRS was an important commander of Parliamentary forces in the First English Civil War, and for a time Oliver Cromwell's superior.-Life:...
, a commander of Parliamentary forces reporting on 25 September 1644 that his army being "constrained to wait at Uxbridge as Maidenhead Bridge is broken". Colonel Whitcote the Parliamentary Commander at Maidenhead acquired seven oaks with which to effect repairs but by 1660 it was again in a dangerous state.
The bridge wardens petitoned the restored monarch - Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
- in 1672 but had to wait until 1679 for a warrant for 20 oaks to be issued. On the accession of James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
all of the benefits granted by James I were restored and the senior bridge warden was made Mayor. When William of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
landed in 1688 the town, still loyal to James followed the order of the King and broke the bridge to prevent William crossing however their efforts were cosmetic and William's army was able to march across it a matter of days later.
Although James' restoration of benefits included the annual quota of oaks, in 1714 the corporation complained to the Lord Treasurer about the poor quality of the trees. The corporation also claimed that bridge revenues were adversely affected by the opening of a toll-free bridge in Datchet
Datchet Bridge
Datchet Bridge, also known as The Divided Bridge, was a road bridge which crossed the River Thames at Datchet from 1706 until it was demolished in 1848. It was situated on the reach between Old Windsor Lock and Romney Lock and linked Windsor on the Berkshire bank to Datchet on the Buckinghamshire...
but their request for compensation was refused. A further eighteen years passed before the treasury granted a warrant for 23 oaks.
Present structure
In 1750 the bridge was again in a state of disrepair and a contract for "great works" was awarded to Mr Stiff Leadbetter of Eaton. The estimated cost was £600 and the actual cost on the final bill was £794 9s 2d - equivalent to £ today. This prompted the corporation to consider the large ongoing cost of maintaining the old structure and decision was made to build an entirely new bridge.Two designs were submitted. Mr Fuller White proposed a timber structure and Robert Taylor
Robert Taylor (architect)
Sir Robert Taylor was a notable English architect of the mid-late 18th century.Born at Woodford, Essex, Taylor followed in his father's footsteps and started working as a stonemason and sculptor, spending time as a pupil of Sir Henry Cheere...
a thirteen-arch
Arch
An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
Portland stone bridge. The corporation preferred Taylor's design but demanded that the original cost of £25,000 (equivalent to £ today) be reduced. Taylor therefore modified the design so that only the river arches were of Portland stone, the rest in brick.
The rebuilding was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1771 and Taylor's design was built by John Townsend of Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
(builder of Swinford Bridge) at a total cost of £19,000 (equivalent to £ today). Works were delayed until a temporary ferry had been constructed and the foundation stone was laid by the Mayor of Maidenhead on 19 October 1772. After delays caused by ice, frost and flooding the centre arch was completed in 1775. The new bridge was finished and finally opened for traffic in 1777.
In 1966 Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
recorded it in his Buildings of Berkshire
Pevsner Architectural Guides
The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of the British Isles. Begun in the 1940s by art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the Buildings of England series were published between 1951 and 1975. The series was then extended to Scotland and...
as "a beautiful piece of 1772–7.... seven main water-arches with rock rustication
Rustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
on the voussoir
Voussoir
A voussoir is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, used in building an arch or vault.Although each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer. The keystone is the center stone or masonry unit at the apex of an arch. A...
s... fine balustrade
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
".
Tolls
Throughout its history the tolls on Maidenhead Bridge had been considered high and were the subject of disquiet. In 1337 the toll for a loaded barge to pass under or a loaded cart to pass over was 1 old pennyPenny (British pre-decimal coin)
The penny of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, was in circulation from the early 18th century until February 1971, Decimal Day....
(equivalent to £10 today). By the 1830s the bridge was recorded as raising £1,245 per annum in tolls (equivalent to £ today). It remained a toll bridge
Toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...
until 1903, after an Eton
Eton, Berkshire
Eton is a town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, lying on the opposite bank of the River Thames to Windsor and connected to it by Windsor Bridge. The parish also includes the large village of Eton Wick, 2 miles west of the town, and has a population of 4,980. Eton was in Buckinghamshire until...
man named Joseph Taylor, who had already made a successful legal challenge against the tolls on Windsor Bridge
Windsor Bridge
Windsor Bridge or Windsor Town Bridge, is a road bridge over the River Thames between the towns of Windsor and Eton in the English county of Berkshire. It now only carries pedestrian and cycle traffic, and crosses the Thames just above Romney Lock....
petitioned the Charity Commissioners in 1902 that the toll was illegal as the funds raised had been used by the Maidenhead Corporation for purposes other than bridge maintenance - a fact freely admitted by the town clerk. The Charity Commission agreed that the toll was illegal and an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
was passed in 1903 which legislated for tolls to cease after 31 October 1903. A large crowd gathered at the bridge and in the first moments of 1 November 1903 they removed the toll gates and threw them in to the Thames. The tolls in 1903 were 1 shilling (equivalent to £ today) for a coach and horses, sixpence (equivalent to £ today) for a car and 10 old pence (equivalent to £ today) for twenty sheep.
Exhibition
In 2007, the bridge was the subject of a special exhibition to mark its 230th anniversary at Maidenhead Heritage CentreMaidenhead Heritage Centre
Maidenhead Heritage Centre is a heritage centre and museum in the town of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England.Maidenhead Heritage Centre and Museum was founded in 1993.The centre presents the history of Maidenhead history from Roman times to the present...
.
See also
- Crossings of the River ThamesCrossings of the River ThamesThis is a list of crossings of the River Thames including bridges, tunnels and ferries. There are 214 bridges, over 20 tunnels, six public ferries and one ford.-Barrier and boundary:...
- List of Grade I listed buildings in Berkshire
- List of Grade I listed buildings in Buckinghamshire