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 | |
| Coordinates | 51°24′05″N 2°19′32″W / 51.4015°N 2.3256°W |
| Carries | Motor vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles |
| Crosses | River Avon |
| Locale | Batheaston to Bathampton, Somerset, England |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Arch bridge |
| Material | Bath stone |
| No. of spans | Nine |
| History | |
| Constructed by | Hickes and Isaac |
| Opened | 1872 |
| 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]
Gallery edit
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The Toll House -
The bridge road -
Close up of bridge
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References edit
- ^ Historic England. "Bathampton Toll Bridge (1395371)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
- ^ a b "Bathampton Toll Bridge and House". Transport Heritage. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ^ Historic England. "Bathampton Toll Bridge (1320555)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
- ^ Dowding, Janet; Taylor, Patrick (2013). The Toll-houses of Somerset. Polystar Press. p. 152. ISBN 9781907154058.
- ^ "Bathampton Bridge". SABRE. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ^ Historic England. "Toll House (1395373)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
- ^ McGuckin, Imogen (1 February 2022). "The gobsmacking sum of money Bath's toll bridge makes every year". SomersetLive. Reach. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- ^ "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.
