Bathampton Toll Bridge

Bathampton Toll Bridge is an arch bridge in England, carrying a minor road across the River Avon near Bathampton, to the east of Bath. It is a Grade II listed structure.

Bathampton Toll Bridge
Toll Bridge and weir
Coordinates51.4015°N 2.3256°W / 51.4015; -2.3256
CarriesMotor vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles
CrossesRiver Avon
LocaleBatheaston to Bathampton, Somerset, England
Characteristics
DesignArch bridge
MaterialBath stone
No. of spansNine
History
Constructed byHickes and Isaac
Opened1872
Location

The bridge was built of Bath stone by Hickes and Isaac in 1872,[1] for the Bridge Company Turnpike Trust.[2] It has nine pointed arches: three larger ones in the centre and three smaller ones at either end. The north end was built over an earlier bridge and mill leat.[3] The first version of the bridge was built in the 1850s and replaced a ford and ferry.[4]

The road over the bridge between Batheaston and Bathampton is single-track with give way signs. On the Bathampton side to the south of the river, the road crosses three further bridges. The first is a modern bridge over the dual-carriageway Batheaston/Swainswick Bypass which is part of the A4. The second crosses the Great Western Main Line and the final bridge is over the Kennet and Avon Canal.[5]

The Toll house was built at the same time as the bridge and is also Grade II listed. It is a two storey building with a high pitch slate roof.[6] A board advertising the historical toll prices is still in place.[2]

In 2021, it had the tenth highest revenue of UK toll bridges, with a revenue of over £1 million. The bridge is owned by the General Estates Company, who also own Whitchurch Bridge, a toll bridge across the River Thames.[7][8]

References

  1. Historic England. "Bathampton Toll Bridge (1395371)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  2. "Bathampton Toll Bridge and House". Transport Heritage. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  3. Historic England. "Bathampton Toll Bridge (1320555)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  4. Dowding, Janet; Taylor, Patrick (2013). The Toll-houses of Somerset. Polystar Press. p. 152. ISBN 9781907154058.
  5. "Bathampton Bridge". SABRE. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  6. Historic England. "Toll House (1395373)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  7. McGuckin, Imogen (1 February 2022). "The gobsmacking sum of money Bath's toll bridge makes every year". SomersetLive. Reach. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  8. "Toll bridge sold for first time since being built in 1792". Henley Standard. 27 February 2019. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.