Cookham Bridge
Encyclopedia
Cookham Bridge is a road bridge
in Cookham
, Berkshire
, carrying the A4094 road
across the River Thames
in England. It is situated on the reach above Cookham Lock
and links Cookham on the Berkshire bank with Bourne End
in Buckinghamshire
.
Cookham Bridge was first opened in 1840 in place of a ferry
but the present structure dates from 1867. Since its opening a toll was payable but this ceased in 1947 when Berkshire County Council
bought the bridge from its private owners.
, a Roman road
. Camlet Way crossed the Thames at Hedsor Wharf
and the remains of a Roman bridge were discovered there in the 19th Century. The bridge fell in to disrepair after the departure of the Romans in the early 5th Century. Several ferry sites were established and even formed part of the Great Western Road
until the construction of Maidenhead Bridge
in 1280, but it was another 1,400 years before a bridged crossing at Cookham was seriously in prospect again.
In 1836 the newly formed Cookham Bridge Company (CBC) invited proposals for a fixed crossing at Cookham. Isambard Kingdom Brunel
, who was engaged in the building of the Great Western Railway
nearby, submitted designs for a cast iron
suspension bridge
with an estimated cost of £20,000 (equivalent to £ today). The CBC balked at the price tag and Brunel subsequently redesigned the scheme but only to that "which I should not be ashamed to build" with a revised cost of £10,000 (£). This was still too expensive for the CBC and they decided not to proceed with Brunel.
In 1837 the Cookham Bridge Company issued a prospectus expounding the "great inconvenience and risk" of the ferry crossings and promoting the advantages of a quick and safe route over the Thames to access the Great Western Railway which was shortly to come to Maidenhead
. The CBC decided to proceed with a design from George Treacher for a wooden bridge 290 ft (88.4 m) long and 16 ft (4.9 m) wide at an estimated cost of £2000 (£). Adding a further £3000 (£) for contingency the CBC received approval from Parliament to charge tolls on the new bridge and to raise £5000 (£) in £25 (£) shares.
The owner of the ferry rights on the site of the new bridge, a Mr Poulton, was bought out by the CBC for £2,275 (£) to include "one barge with chains and rollers for the carriage of cattle and one punt with poles for the conveyance of passengers". The ferry was then rented to John Beasley from 17 January 1839 for £2 4s 3d (£) per month in order to provide a service whilst the new bridge was constructed.
and gates on the Buckinghamshire
bank. Work started on the construction of the bridge in the Summer of 1839, and was finished by the end of the year, over-budget at a total cost of £4224. The bridge was wooden and had 13 spans, nine of 24 ft (7.3 m) and four of 18 ft (5.5 m). Cookham Bridge opened on 1 Jan 1840 and was let to a Mr Bolton at an annual rent of £350 although by 1844 it was only producing £330pa in tolls.
Due to its wooden construction the bridge required a lot of maintenance and in 1859 George Treacher reported to the Cookham Bridge Company that several of the piles were "very much decayed and not unlikely to give way". In Treacher's opinion the bridge was unlikely to survive the winter and so a Mr Cook of Wycombe
was engaged to make emergency repairs at a cost of £96 12s 2d (£). The repairs did little to stem the decay and only five years later in 1864 the new surveyor, a Mr Carter, described the bridge as "not dangerous but not safe" and "may subside if a heavy vehicle passes over it". By 1866 the situation had deteriorated such that the lessee asked for a reduction in rent as the toll income had fallen off due to people being too afraid to use the bridge.
for a bridge of two wrought iron
girders supported by eight pairs of concrete
-filled iron pillars. The estimated cost was £2,520 (equivalent to £), some £1000 cheaper even than the estimate for the 1840 wooden construction. The remarkably low cost, due to Pease & Hutchinson being major iron manufacturers and prolific bridge builders, led to the new bridge being known as "the cheapest bridge on the River for its size".
Work on the replacement bridge began on 30 November 1866. The old bridge was demolished on 6 May 1867 and the approaches rerouted ready for the new bridge opening on 1 July 1867. The bridge continued to be owned by the Cookham Bridge Company and operated as a toll-bridge until 1947 when it was bought out by Berkshire County Council for £30,000 (£) and the tolls abolished.
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...
in 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...
, 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...
, carrying the A4094 road
A4094 road
The A4094 is a road in the United Kingdom that starts at Loudwater in Buckinghamshire and leads to Maidenhead in Berkshire....
across 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,...
in England. It is situated on the reach above Cookham Lock
Cookham Lock
Cookham Lock is a lock with weirs situated on the River Thames near Cookham, Berkshire. The lock is set in a lock cut which is one of four streams here and it is surrounded by woods. On one side is Sashes Island and on the other is Mill Island connected to Formosa Island, the largest on the...
and links Cookham on the Berkshire bank with Bourne End
Bourne End, Buckinghamshire
Bourne End is a village predominantly in the parish of Wooburn and Bourne End, but also in the parish of Little Marlow, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated close to the border with Berkshire, near where the River Wye meets the River Thames...
in 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....
.
Cookham Bridge was first opened in 1840 in place of a 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...
but the present structure dates from 1867. Since its opening a toll was payable but this ceased in 1947 when Berkshire County Council
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is a Royal Borough of Berkshire, in South East England. It became a unitary authority on 1 April 1998.It is home to Windsor Castle, Eton College, Legoland and Ascot Racecourse....
bought the bridge from its private owners.
Background
Cookham, on the south bank of the River Thames has existed as a settlement for many thousands of years but the first recorded river crossing there was the Camlet WayCamlet Way
Camlet Way was a Roman road in England which ran roughly east-west between Colchester in Essex and Silchester in Hampshire via St Albans ....
, a Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
. Camlet Way crossed the Thames at Hedsor Wharf
Hedsor Water
Hedsor Water is a backwater of the River Thames near Cookham, Berkshire which leaves the river above Cookham Lock and rejoins at the tail of the lock cut, running alongside Sashes Island. Hedsor Water was once the main course of the Thames but was by-passed for navigation by the construction of...
and the remains of a Roman bridge were discovered there in the 19th Century. The bridge fell in to disrepair after the departure of the Romans in the early 5th Century. Several ferry sites were established and even formed part of the Great Western Road
Great 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...
until the construction of Maidenhead Bridge
Maidenhead Bridge
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.-History:...
in 1280, but it was another 1,400 years before a bridged crossing at Cookham was seriously in prospect again.
In 1836 the newly formed Cookham Bridge Company (CBC) invited proposals for a fixed crossing at Cookham. Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
, who was engaged in the building of the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
nearby, submitted designs for a cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
suspension bridge
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
with an estimated cost of £20,000 (equivalent to £ today). The CBC balked at the price tag and Brunel subsequently redesigned the scheme but only to that "which I should not be ashamed to build" with a revised cost of £10,000 (£). This was still too expensive for the CBC and they decided not to proceed with Brunel.
In 1837 the Cookham Bridge Company issued a prospectus expounding the "great inconvenience and risk" of the ferry crossings and promoting the advantages of a quick and safe route over the Thames to access the Great Western Railway which was shortly to come to 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:...
. The CBC decided to proceed with a design from George Treacher for a wooden bridge 290 ft (88.4 m) long and 16 ft (4.9 m) wide at an estimated cost of £2000 (£). Adding a further £3000 (£) for contingency the CBC received approval from Parliament to charge tolls on the new bridge and to raise £5000 (£) in £25 (£) shares.
The owner of the ferry rights on the site of the new bridge, a Mr Poulton, was bought out by the CBC for £2,275 (£) to include "one barge with chains and rollers for the carriage of cattle and one punt with poles for the conveyance of passengers". The ferry was then rented to John Beasley from 17 January 1839 for £2 4s 3d (£) per month in order to provide a service whilst the new bridge was constructed.
1840 bridge
On 25 May 1839 a Mr Freebody was contracted to construct the bridge for £3,140 (equivalent to £) with George Treacher, the designer, as Clerk of the Works. Freebody was also contracted for a further £225 (£) to build a toll houseToll house
A tollhouse or toll house is a building with accommodation for a toll collector, beside a tollgate on a toll road or canal. Many tollhouses were built by turnpike trusts in England, Wales and Scotland during the 18th and early 19th centuries...
and gates on the 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....
bank. Work started on the construction of the bridge in the Summer of 1839, and was finished by the end of the year, over-budget at a total cost of £4224. The bridge was wooden and had 13 spans, nine of 24 ft (7.3 m) and four of 18 ft (5.5 m). Cookham Bridge opened on 1 Jan 1840 and was let to a Mr Bolton at an annual rent of £350 although by 1844 it was only producing £330pa in tolls.
Due to its wooden construction the bridge required a lot of maintenance and in 1859 George Treacher reported to the Cookham Bridge Company that several of the piles were "very much decayed and not unlikely to give way". In Treacher's opinion the bridge was unlikely to survive the winter and so a Mr Cook of Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
was engaged to make emergency repairs at a cost of £96 12s 2d (£). The repairs did little to stem the decay and only five years later in 1864 the new surveyor, a Mr Carter, described the bridge as "not dangerous but not safe" and "may subside if a heavy vehicle passes over it". By 1866 the situation had deteriorated such that the lessee asked for a reduction in rent as the toll income had fallen off due to people being too afraid to use the bridge.
Present structure
On 17 July 1866 the Cookham Bridge Company announced that a new iron bridge would be built and requested designs. 37 schemes were submitted and the contract was awarded to Messrs Pease, Hutchinson & Co Ltd of the Skerne Ironworks, DarlingtonDarlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
for a bridge of two wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
girders supported by eight pairs of concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
-filled iron pillars. The estimated cost was £2,520 (equivalent to £), some £1000 cheaper even than the estimate for the 1840 wooden construction. The remarkably low cost, due to Pease & Hutchinson being major iron manufacturers and prolific bridge builders, led to the new bridge being known as "the cheapest bridge on the River for its size".
Work on the replacement bridge began on 30 November 1866. The old bridge was demolished on 6 May 1867 and the approaches rerouted ready for the new bridge opening on 1 July 1867. The bridge continued to be owned by the Cookham Bridge Company and operated as a toll-bridge until 1947 when it was bought out by Berkshire County Council for £30,000 (£) and the tolls abolished.