Radcot Bridge is a crossing of the Thames in England, south of Radcot,

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, and north of Faringdon, Oxfordshire which is in the district of that county that was in Berkshire. It carries the A4095 road across the reach above

Radcot Lock Radcot Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England just downstream of Radcot, Oxfordshire, on the southern bank. The lock was built by the Thames Conservancy in 1892 on the site of an old weir and flash lock. The weir is on the other side ...

. In many analyses it is a series of three bridges – before the northern one is reached, mainly to the east, is the smaller island hosting the Swan Inn. On the main north bank are slight earthworks forming a large square in which further remains have been found of

Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse * Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...

's Castle and some Roman artefacts.

The bridges

Three stone bridges cross this part of the upper Thames valley: from south to north, these are: Old Radcot Bridge, the Canal Bridge ('' listed'' as part of Radcot Bridge) and Pidnell Bridge which is close to the main building on the smaller island, 'Ye Olde Swan' Hotel. The latter is confusingly furthest from Pidnell Farm – the nearest farmstead or hamlet in Faringdon parish. Originally built across the Thames, Old Radcot Bridge now crosses only about a third of the local river flow since the construction, in 1787, of a new cut for the

Thames and Severn Canal The Thames and Severn Canal is a canal in Gloucestershire in the south-west of England, which was completed in 1789. It was conceived as part of a cargo route from Bristol and the Midlands to London, linking England's two largest rivers for bett ...

. The Canal Bridge was built at the same time. Radcot Bridge is the oldest standing bridge on the Thames, the core having been built, with pointed arches of Taynton stone, around 1200. The

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

monks of Saint Mary at Cîteaux in Normandy were granted land for the purpose by

King John King John may refer to: Rulers * John, King of England (1166–1216) * John I of Jerusalem (c. 1170–1237) * John Balliol, King of Scotland (c. 1249–1314) * John I of France (15–20 November 1316) * John II of France (1319–1364) * John I o ...

. The larger island which is crossed has a rectangular cottage (named after the bridge) with one side almost against the road, and which is a

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

.; on the other side of the road is pillbox from

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, part of the

GHQ Line The GHQ Line (General Headquarters Line) was a defence line built in the United Kingdom during World War II to contain an expected German invasion. The British Army had abandoned most of its equipment in France after the Dunkirk evacuation. It ...

. Much of the structure was torn down during the

Battle of Radcot Bridge The Battle of Radcot Bridge was fought on 19 December 1387 in medieval England between troops loyal to Richard II, led by court favourite Robert de Vere, and an army captained by Henry Bolingbroke, Earl of Derby. It took place at Radcot Bridge, ...

on 19 December 1387 between troops loyal to

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father d ...

, led by court favourite Robert de Vere, and an army captained by Richard's cousin Henry Bolingbroke, Earl of Derby – the future Henry IV. The bridge was rebuilt in 1393. It was severely damaged during the latter part of the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought be ...

, and was largely rebuilt as it appears today, with a flattened centre arch. Radcot Bridge became a toll bridge and its wharf was commercially important as the highest shipping point on the Thames, with the junction of the Severn-Thames canal not far away at

Lechlade Lechlade () is a town at the southern edge of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England, south of Birmingham and west of London. It is the highest point at which the River Thames is navigable, although there is a right of navigation that contin ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

. During this era of the

Industrial Revolution in the United Kingdom The economic history of the United Kingdom relates the economic development in the British state from the absorption of Wales into the Kingdom of England after 1535 to the modern United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland of the early ...

the local towpath would also have become heavily worn year-round for the first time. The longer

Thames Path The Thames Path is a National Trail following the River Thames from its source near Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Woolwich foot tunnel, south east London. It is about long. A path was first proposed in 1948 but it only opened in 1996. The ...

, variants of which were first made in the 19th century, crosses the bridges.

Matilda's Castle

Time Team ''Time Team'' is a British television programme that originally aired on Channel 4, Channel 4 from 16 January 1994 to 7 September 2014. It returned online in 2022 for two episodes released on YouTube. Created by television pro ...

'', in a programme first broadcast on 15 February 2009, excavated Matilda's Castle in the summer of 2008. They found that visible earthworks near Radcot Bridge dated from the 17th-century

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians ("Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of Kingdom of England, England's governanc ...

, when Parliamentary forces built them to support cannon used to bombard Royalist forces garrisoned in Radcot House. Underneath some of these earthworks were remains of a square

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in ...

dating from the time of the 12th-century

Anarchy Anarchy is a society without a government. It may also refer to a society or group of people that entirely rejects a set hierarchy. ''Anarchy'' was first used in English in 1539, meaning "an absence of government". Pierre-Joseph Proudhon adopte ...

. Evidence suggested the tower was pulled down a century after it was built. Its remains were further damaged by later constructions on the site. Some Roman remains, possibly from a villa, were also found.

Notes and references

Footnotes

Citations

External links

Faringdon Online: Radcot Bridge

New Bridge — Oldest Bridge over the Thames

Vale and Downland Museum The Vale and Downland Museum is a local museum in the market town of Wantage, Oxfordshire, England. Its galleries present the cultural heritage of the Vale of White Horse region around Wantage. A Victorian kitchen, Iron Age skeleton and a bust ...

{{River item box, table=end , River=

, upstream= northern bank

Bloomers Hole Footbridge Bloomers Hole Footbridge is a footbridge across the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England. It is situated on the reach above Buscot Lock and was installed in 2000 to carry the Thames Path across the Thames. It is built of steel encased in wood to ...

, downstream= southern bank

Tadpole Bridge Tadpole Bridge is a road bridge across the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England, carrying a road between Bampton to the north and Buckland to the south. It crosses the Thames on the reach above Shifford Lock. It is a Grade II listed building. ...

Bridges completed in the 13th century Bridges in Oxfordshire Bridges across the River Thames Grade I listed bridges Grade I listed buildings in Oxfordshire West Oxfordshire District Former toll bridges in England Stone bridges in the United Kingdom