Maidenhead Bridge is a

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

bridge carrying the A4 road over the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

between

Maidenhead Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England. It lies on the southwestern bank of the River Thames, which at this point forms the border with Buckinghamshire. In the 2021 Census, ...

, Berkshire and Taplow, Buckinghamshire, England. It crosses the Thames on the reach above Bray Lock, about half a mile below Boulter's Lock. The Thames Path crosses the river here.

History

The first bridge was built of wood in 1280 in what was then the hamlet of South Ellington. The Great West Road to

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

and

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

was diverted over the new bridge – previously it kept to the north bank crossed the Thames by ford at

Cookham Cookham is a historic River Thames, Thames-side village and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the north-eastern edge of Berkshire, England, north-north-east of Maidenhead and opposite the village of Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, Bourne ...

– and

mediaeval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and t ...

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 Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...

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 into 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 Andrew the Apostle ( ; ; ; ) was an apostle of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was a fisherman and one of the Apostles in the New Testament, Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. The title First-Called () used by the Eastern Orthodox Chu ...

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 (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...

during the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

in 1547 it was reinstated in 1581 when Queen

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

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 A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

the bridge again fell into disrepair. Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester, a commander of Parliamentary forces reported on 25 September 1644 that his army was "constrained to wait at Uxbridge as Maidenhead Bridge is broken". Colonel Whitcote the Parliamentary Commander at Maidenhead acquired seven oaks with which to make repairs but by 1660 it was again in a dangerous state. The bridge wardens petitioned 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 The Lord High Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Acts of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-ranked Great Officer of State in England, below the Lord ...

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.

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 a thirteen-

arch An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...

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, the ( 12 Geo. 3. c. 41) and Taylor's design was built by John Townsend of

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

(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 Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (195 ...

recorded it in his Buildings of Berkshire as "a beautiful piece of 1772–7.... seven main water-arches with rock rustication on the

voussoir A voussoir ( UK: ; US: ) is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, which is used in building an arch or vault.“Voussoir, N., Pronunciation.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, June 2024, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/7553486115. Acces ...

s... fine

balustrade A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its ...

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 penny (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 A toll bridge is a bridge where a monetary charge (or '' toll'') is required to pass over. Generally the private or public owner, builder and maintainer of the bridge uses the toll to recoup their investment, in much the same way as a toll road ...

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 money was being used illegally and the corporation agreed cease collecting the tolls 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 into 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. The ( 4 Edw. 7. c. xcv) was passed to legally abolish the tolls. In 1843 the Corporation of Maidenhead as owners of the turnpike toll-bridge sued the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...

for the maximum statutory compensation of £2,500 for loss of tolls in consequence of the construction of the London to Bristol main line taking traffic away from the toll bridge. The Great Western Railway defended the claim on the dubious grounds it had built its London terminus at Paddington, not Euston as originally authorised by its act of incorporation containing the provisions for compensation but they paid in full before trial whilst avoiding the payment of interest and costs on a technicality.

Exhibition

In 2007, the bridge was the subject of a special exhibition to mark its 230th anniversary at Maidenhead Heritage Centre.Maidenhead Heritage Centre Celebrates Bridge To Prosperity
Culture24, 1 August 2007.

References

External links