Hampton Court Bridge
51°24′14″N 0°20′33″W / 51.40389°N 0.34250°W / 51.40389; -0.34250
Hampton Court Bridge | |
---|---|
Hampton Court bridge in 2006 | |
Coordinates | 51°24′14″N 0°20′33″W / 51.40389°N 0.34250°W / 51.40389; -0.34250 |
Carries | Thames Path |
Crosses | River Thames |
Locale | East Molesey Hampton Court Palace |
Maintained by | Surrey County Council |
Heritage status | Grade II listed structure |
Characteristics | |
Design | Arch |
Material | Concrete with a brick finish |
Total length | 320 feet 0 inches (97.54 m) |
Width | 70 feet 0 inches (21.34 m)[1] |
Height | 19 ft 5 in (5.9 m)[2] |
No. of spans | 3 |
Piers in water | 2 |
History | |
Designer | W. P. Robinson Sir Edward Lutyens |
Opened | 3 July 1933 |
Statistics | |
Toll | Abolished 1876 |
Location | |
Designations | |
---|---|
Listed Building – Grade II | |
Official name | Hampton Court Bridge |
Designated | 2 September 1952 |
Reference no. | 1358100 |
Hampton Court Bridge is a Grade II listed bridge[3] that crosses the River Thames in England approximately north–south between Hampton, London and East Molesey, Surrey, carrying the A309. It is the upper of two road bridges on the reach above Teddington Lock and downstream of Molesey Lock.
The bridge is the most upstream crossing of all of the Thames bridges of Greater London; uniquely one bank is within the county. The Thames Path crosses the river here.
Historic crossings
Ferry
The location of the bridge had been a ferry crossing point since at least the Tudor period.
First bridge
Hampton Court Bridge Act 1749 | |
---|---|
Act of Parliament | |
Long title | An Act for building a Bridge cross the River of Thames, from Hampton Court, in the County of Middlesex, to East Moulsey, in the County of Surry. |
Citation | 23 Geo. 2. c. 37 |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 12 April 1750 |
In 1750, James Clarke obtained an Act of Parliament (23 Geo. 2. c. 37) to construct a privately owned bridge at Hampton Court. The first bridge was constructed by Samuel Stevens and Benjamin Ludgator from 1752 until 1753 and opened on 13 December that year.[4][5] It had seven wooden arches and was built in the Chinoiserie design of the Willow pattern that was popular at the time, attested by two prints made in the year of its opening and the year after.[6]
Second bridge
This bridge was replaced by a more sturdy eleven-arch wooden bridge in 1778.[6] By 1840 this bridge had become dilapidated and the owner appealed to the Corporation of London to support reconstruction. Among their arguments were that since the bridge was built, the City had created Molesey Lock and Weir and as a consequence navigation through the bridge was dangerous. The bridge was described at about this time as "crazy, hog-backed, inconvenient and obstructive of the navigation".[7]
Third bridge
From 1864 to 1865 construction took place on the third bridge on the site. It opened on 10 April 1865.[4] It was built to a design by E. T. Murray and commissioned by the bridge's owner Thomas Allan. The new bridge consisted of wrought iron lattice girders resting on four cast iron columns. The road approach was between battlemented brick walls. An illustrative fragment of these approach walls remains on the south bank immediately west of the bridge. The design was heavily criticised; it was described simply in 1911 by one historic gazetteer, the Victoria County History as "inartistic".[6] A less diplomatic contemporary commentator called it "one of the ugliest bridges in England, and a flagrant eyesore and disfigurement both to the river and to Hampton Court."[8] Despite the criticism, it proved extremely lucrative for Allen, earning him over £3,000 annually in tolls until he was bought out in 1876 for £48,048 by a joint committee of the Hampton and Molesey local boards and the Corporation of London.[8]
The modern bridge
The modern bridge is the fourth on the site. The bridge has three wide arches, is designed to be able to carry quite heavy motorised road traffic and is constructed of reinforced concrete, faced with red bricks and white Portland Stone (namely its pontoons, dressings, and balustrades).[3]
The bridge was one of three authorised by Parliament in 1928 (the others being Twickenham Bridge and Chiswick Bridge).[9] It was designed by the Surrey county engineer W. P. Robinson and the architect Sir Edwin Lutyens to reflect the style of the portions of Hampton Court Palace designed by Sir Christopher Wren – whose architectural style has another legacy by the bridge, as his well-conserved blue-plaqued house in which he lived his final years faces the roundabout by the two north bank roads which meet just north of the bridge and palace front gate.[10] To ensure that traffic could still cross, the new bridge was built a short distance downstream from the old, which was subsequently demolished.[9]
Construction began in September 1930.[9] The work required the demolition of a small hotel (The Old Castle) and, to the south, diversion of the flow of the River Mole into the River Ember, formerly the secondary distributary of the Mole. The bridge was opened by the Prince of Wales (who became King Edward VIII) on 3 July 1933, on the same day as the opening of Chiswick and Twickenham bridges, which carry the A316 (and between those sections is still occasionally nicknamed the 'Richmond bypass'). The bridge was Grade II listed in 1952 for its architecture.[3]
Surroundings
- Immediate environs
Aside from two parallel lines of architecturally rich buildings and riverside homes – approximately half of which are listed on the north bank[10] are Hampton Court Palace and Gardens, Hampton Court Park and Bushy Park, Royal Parks.
On the south bank is a one-way street of restaurants, boutiques, and bars surrounded by apartments immediately then homes with gardens west of Hampton Court railway station. On the Thames itself, a few hundred metres to either side are Molesey Lock on the Thames and the mouth of the River Mole, on the south side.
Roads
- Hampton Court Way (A309)
The bridge construction was taken as the opportunity for Surrey County Council to construct a new road, which starts at the same road as before with its roundabout with the A308 (Staines–Kingston road) (then running south between the palace's entrance driveway and a short row of a hotel/restaurant, a restaurant and shop), before becoming being considerably straighter than the existing old roads as a route south. Numbered A309, this connects directly with the A307 (Old London–Portsmouth road) and more recently with the A3(M) motorway deeper into Surrey than the old route.
- A3050
The A3050 commences immediately southwest of the bridge and passes through three riverside settlements: the rest of Molesey and the towns of Walton-on-Thames and Weybridge also in Elmbridge, Surrey.
- Neighbouring bridges
The next bridge downstream is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) and upstream is exactly 4 miles (6.4 km).[11]
The next downstream bridge has considerably older predecessors going back to the early medieval period and is the only other of the reach, Kingston Bridge, London — it is pale brick and stone only and of taller design with two extra arches.
The next bridge upstream was replaced in 2013 with a single-span bridge heading up the Thames, a tied arch bridge, Walton Bridge.
See also
References
References
- ^ Thameside Molesey
- ^ River Thames Alliance. Bridge heights on the River Thames.
- ^ a b c Historic England (2 September 1952). "Hampton Court Bridge (1358100)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ a b Baker, Rowland (1989). "Thameside Molesey". Molesey History. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ Weinreb et al. 2008, p. 378.
- ^ a b c William Page, ed. (1911). "Spelthorne Hundred: Hampton: introduction". A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 2: General; Ashford, East Bedfont with Hatton, Feltham, Hampton with Hampton Wick, Hanworth, Laleham, Littleton. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- ^ Fred. S. Thacker The Thames Highway: Volume II Locks and Weirs 1920 – republished 1968 David & Charles
- ^ a b Croad, Stephen (2003). Liquid History: The Thames Through Time. Batsford. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-7134-8834-0.
- ^ a b c Croad, Stephen (2003). Liquid History: The Thames Through Time. Batsford. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-7134-8834-0.
- ^ a b Wren's latter-life home, the Old Court House, Grade II* listing Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1080796)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- ^ Grid Reference Finder distance tools
Citations
- Weinreb, Ben; Hibbert, Christopher; Keay, Julia; Keay, John (2008). The London Encyclopedia. Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4050-4924-5.
- Elmbridge Borough Council – Information plaque at the Bridge
External links
- The Thames from Hampton Court to Sunbury Lock
Next crossing upstream | River Thames | Next crossing downstream |
Hampton Ferry (pedestrian) | Hampton Court Bridge Grid reference TQ1538868481 | Kingston Bridge (road) |
Next crossing upstream | Thames Path | Next crossing downstream |
southern bank Shepperton to Weybridge Ferry | Hampton Court Bridge Grid reference TQ1538868481 | northern bank Kingston Bridge |
- v
- t
- e
- Barnes
- Barnes Bridge
- Fulwell
- Hampton
- Hampton Wick
- Kew Gardens
- Mortlake
- North Sheen
- Richmond
- St Margarets
- Strawberry Hill
- Teddington
- Twickenham
- Whitton
and river services
- Beverley Brook
- River Crane
- Duke of Northumberland's River
- Longford River
- Sudbrook and Latchmere stream
- River Thames
- Athletic Ground, Richmond
- Barn Elms playing fields
- The Championship Course
- Cricket clubs and grounds
- Golf clubs and courses
- Hampton Pool
- The Lensbury
- Pools on the Park
- Royal Tennis Court, Hampton Court
- Teddington Pools and Fitness Centre
- Thames Young Mariners
- Twickenham Stadium
- Twickenham Stoop
- former Ranelagh Club
- former Richmond Ice Rink
- Britannia, Richmond
- The Bull's Head, Barnes
- The Crown, Twickenham
- Dysart Arms, Petersham
- The Fox, Twickenham
- The George, Twickenham
- Hare and Hounds, East Sheen
- Jolly Coopers, Hampton
- Old Ship, Richmond
- Park Hotel, Teddington
- Richmond Brewery Stores
- Sun Inn, Barnes
- Twickenham Fine Ales
- Watney Combe & Reid
- White Cross, Richmond
- The White Swan, Twickenham
and music venues
- Richmond and Twickenham Times
- former Gaydar Radio
- former Hogarth Press
of interest
- 123 Mortlake High Street
- 14 The Terrace, Barnes
- 18 Station Road, Barnes
- 70 Barnes High Street
- Asgill House
- Barnes power station
- Brinsworth House
- Bushy House
- Chapel House
- Chapel in the Wood
- Clarence House
- Doughty House
- Douglas House
- Downe House
- East Sheen Filling Station
- Fulwell bus garage
- Garrick's Temple to Shakespeare
- Garrick's Villa
- Grove House, Hampton
- Halford House
- Ham House
- Hampton Water Treatment Works
- Hampton Youth Project
- Harrods Furniture Depository
- Hogarth House
- The Homestead
- Hotham House
- Kew Mortuary
- King's Observatory
- Kneller Hall
- Langham House
- Langham House Close
- Latchmere House
- Lichfield Court
- Marble Hill House
- Montrose House
- National Physical Laboratory
- Normansfield Theatre
- The Old Court House
- Old Town Hall, Richmond
- Ormeley Lodge
- Parkleys
- The Pavilion
- Pembroke Lodge
- Pope's Grotto
- Poppy Factory
- Royal Military School of Music
- Royal Star and Garter Home
- St Leonard's Court
- Strawberry Hill House
- Stud House
- Sudbrook House and Park
- Thatched House Lodge
- University Boat Race Stones
- Victoria Working Men's Club
- West Hall
- White Lodge
- The Wick
- Wick House
- Yelverton Lodge
- York House
- former Admiralty Research Laboratory
- former Alcott House
- former Camp Griffiss
- former Cardigan House
- former Cross Deep House
- former The Karsino
- former Mortlake Tapestry Works
- former Mount Ararat
- former Pope's villa
- former Radnor House
- former Richmond House
- former Richmond Lodge
- former Richmond Theological College
- former Sheen Priory
- former Star and Garter Hotel
- former Twickenham Park
- Adana Printing Machines
- Ashe baronets
- Cook baronets of Doughty House
- Darell baronets, of Richmond Hill
- GHQ Liaison Regiment (Phantom)
- Hampton Court Conference
- Kew Letters
- Petersham Hole
- Pocock baronets
- Richmond Flyers
- Richmond, Petersham and Ham Open Spaces Act 1902
- Treaty of Hampton Court (1562)
- Vandeput baronets
- Warren-Lambert
- Wigan baronets
- Richmond Park
- Twickenham
- former Richmond and Barnes
- former Richmond (Surrey)