Bridges No.21 - Putney Bridge

Putney Bridge is in a great setting with the towers of two churches at opposite ends, and the riverside pubs of the Putney side. Putney was one of the early sites of a new bridge to fill the centuries old gap of bridge crossing between London Bridge and Kingston Bridge. Work began on a bridge here in March 1729 and was ready for opening by November that same year. It was built by a local carpenter Thomas Phillips following a design by Sir Jospeh Ackworth. This first bridge was made totally of timber and was subject to tolls. Being of wooden construction there were lots of individual spans (26 in all). It also required lots of maintenance work and after it was struck by a barge in 1870 there was a need to make some adjustments.

The initial aim was to create a wider single central span. In 1871 and 1872 two central piers were removed and replaced with an iron girder structure. Only a few years later the bridge was purchased by the Metropolitan Board of Works who immediately proposed a new bridge.

Joseph Bazelgette was comissioned to design to new bridge, just upstread of the wooden bridge on the site of a former aqueduct. The new bridge is constructed from concrete and granite and was opened in 1886. Since 1884 the bridge (both old and new) has marked to starting point of the Oxford-Cambridge University Boat Race.

Bridges No.20 - Fulham Bridge

Fulham Bridge is principally a railway bridge, and is the only railway bridge crossing the Thames that us exclusively used by Underground trains. The bridge is on the Wimbledon branch of the District Line on the stretch bewteen Putney Bridge Station and East Putney. It also acts as a footbridge with a narrow walkway on the downstream side.

The railway to Putney Bridge Station and was completed in 1880. If passengers then wished to cross the river they would have either had to walk to Putney Bridge or they could use on the the steam cruisers that acted as ferries. In 1886 an Act of Parliament was passed allowing the London & South Western Railway to extended their line as far as Wimbledon and in doing so erect a new bridge.

The bridge was designed by W H Thomas and William Jacomb and the first trains ran over it on 3 June 1889, just three years after the Act was passed.

Bridges No.19 - Wandsworth Bridge

Wandsworth Bridge looks different to the other road bridges further downstream, simply because it is all made from iron and painted in shades of blue. No stone or concrete in site anywhere on the bridge structure itself gives it the feel of a railway bridge, but with a camber.

The orginal bridge here was built in 1873 to a design by Julian Tolme. The bridge was made of wrought iron and used lattice girderwork. The roadway was made from timber. Once more a toll was charge for use of the bridge after it opened, but for Wandsworth it lastest only for seven years, again coinciding with purchase by the Metropolitan Board of Works.

In 1935 London County Council gave consent for a replacement bridge. The new bridge was designed by Sir Pierson Frank and opened in 1940.

Day 6: Kingston - Shepperton

Yet another beautiful day (I do pick them well!) but thankfully much cooler – the heat wave is now a distant memory. The cooler temperature made the walk go much quicker – I must have been able to maintain a faster average walking speed. Kingston on an early Sunday morning was like a ghost town. Very few people about, mainly because the shops weren’t open. At Kingston the Thames Path cross over to the north bank, or as it is at this point, the west bank. There’s no choice now because since Teddington Lock the path only runs on one bank, although on occasions it does switch over.

We’re now on a pleasant riverside walk that will run around a grand curve in the river leading us around the edge of Hampton Court Park. Not that you can see much of it to begin with because of large trees, hedges and some unsightly fencing. But once your well round the bend, past Raven Ait the bank opens up and you can eventually see through into the park, much of which is used as a golf course.

There are also opportunities to nip into the park at various points along the riverside walk (or as it is known here the Barge Walk). Then suddenly you find yourself right alongside the gardens and the Palace itself. Some of the gardens are to be found high up, over a very tall wall. Access to them requires a ticket during the summer months. Then you get a better view of the side of the Palace and further formal gardens through the iron railings and wonderfully decorated gold leaf gates. I got a photo of a golden thistle, but alas its not possible to get a good shot of the Palace due to the arrangement of double railings at this point.

The path weaves past the Banqueting House (currently undergoing conservation work and wrapped in scaffolding) and brings you to the front of the Palace and the famous front entrance. I didn’t bother venturing inside, but I was great to see this in the flesh for the first time (for a brief moment I felt a bit of a tourist, which in a way I was).

The Thames Path now heads back across the river via Hampton Court Bridge. From here is passes the riverside houses of East and West Moseley. Shortly I reach a stretch of river with lots of house boats on the opposite bank. The one pictured was pretty much the last and was away from the other, but seemed to be associated with an even grander house.

There are some great views to be had here as you start walking through the riverside Hurst Park. Some notable buildings on the north bank include a small domed garden folly, Hampton Church and the buildings of Port Hampton, a compact boatyard. But the view suddenly stop and I’m reminded of the walk from Putney to Barnes where the path felt very claustrophobic. Thankfully this stretch is not as long, but the reason once again is the presence of reservoirs to the south. The path is effectively on a strip of land between these reservoirs and the river. Unfortunately they are behind on old Victorian brick wall and an higher embankment. One interesting feature along here was an old granite City of London coal post. The shield engraved into the stone is that of the City and it is part of an extensive network of other coal and wine posts scattered around the edge of Greater London. They marked the point where duty on either coal and/or wine became payable if it was being transported to the City of London. There are different designs (most are iron) and they were placed in locations where a road, canal or in this case the river first entered the Metropolitan Police District. It was all governed by the 1861 Local Coal and Wine Continuance Act. Apparently this one is something of a rarity in this neck of the woods and was originally erected in at New Haw Lock following the passing of the earlier 1851 Act, then moved to this position just outside Walton-on-Thames in 1861.

Shortly after the coal post we are at another lock system – Sudbury Lock on this occasion. The locks are now becoming a regular feature along the walk and do help break up the journey. The little cafes at some have looked very inviting, and I must make a point of visiting some of them along the route. Close by Sudbury Lock another, more modern, reminder of the City of London outside a small cottage. Two old City litter bins being used as plant tubs.

We’re now on the edge of Walton and there are more moderately sized houses now on both sides of the river. Just around the bend is Walton Bridge, a rather rickety looking structure. There are plans afoot for something new here, but I'll talk about that when I get round to writing the bridge post later.

At this point I now have a choice – either cross the river and take a route away from the Thames through to Shepperton, or follow the southern bank along a straight channel called The Cut. The reason for this is because the river ahead splits up into many different channels, both natural and man-made. The Cut is man-made, an attempt to improve the flow of water in this part of the Thames. The main channel twists and turns to the north, and the official Thames Path book recommends a stroll along the river side path on Desborough Island. But it is longer and to be honest I can’t be bothered today, so I push onto the other end of the island and approach the Weybridge-Shepperton ferry service. Sometimes the ferry doesn’t run so you do need to use the northern route from Walton, but today it was, and a pleasant short cross over the river it was too. Here the path continues westwards towards Staines, but for me it homeward bound and a stroll up through the village of Old Shepperton, back towards the train station.

Bridges No.18 - Cremorne Bridge

The Cremorne Bridge is more popularly known as Battersea Railway Bridge and is the river crossing from the line running from Clapham Junction to Willesden Junction. The bridge was designed by William Baker, the chief engineer with the London and North Western Railway and opened in March 1863 to freight traffic only. Passenger services did not begin until 1904. It carries two sets of railway lines and is made up of five lattice girded spans supported on stone piers.

The bridge has undergone strengthening work in 1969 and 1992 and trains crossing the bridge are subject to a speed restriction of 15 mph. The bridge is now dominated by the residential development of Imperial Wharf on the north bank. So large is this new development that a new station is expected to be developed.

Bridges No.17 - Battersea Bridge

Battersea Bridge was formally the site of a ferry crossing of the Thames but in 1766 Parliament passed an Act permitting the construction of a toll bridge at this point. Earl Spencer oversaw the project, but despite finding fifteen investors could not raise sufficient funds for the bridge. The design had to be compromised and rather than building the bridge from stone, wood was used. The bridge was design by Henry Holland and included 19 spans. Bear in mind that this is the narrowest crossing point in London, so the gaps between piers would have been tiny indeed. It caused immense problems for river navigation and bridge collisions were a regular occurence. The bridge opened in 1771 and by 1795 further money had been raised to enable some spans to be replaced by iron, allowing piers to be removed.

With the Victoria Bridge (later known as Chelsea Bridge) opening downstream in 1858, Battersea Bridge became less popular and toll revenues declined. As with other bridges the Metropolitan Board of Works also purchased Battersea who found an need to replace the bridge. In 1883 the bridge was closed and a temporaory bridge opened in 1885 so that work on a new bridge could begin in 1886.

The new bridge was design by the MWB's engineer, Sir Joseph Bazalgette and opened in 1890. It consists of five cantilevered spans of wrought iron and steel supported on granite piers. The new bridge itself is not immune to collission from boats. On 20 September 2005 a gravel carrying barge hit the bridge and it was closed to traffic while repair work was carried out. It eventually reopened in January 2006.

Day 5: Barnes Bridge - Kingston

Another fine day and an early start at Barnes Bridge. Certainly cooler than when I left here three weeks ago. The first significant feature was the Mortlake brewery, busy making another batch of Budweiser. The modern buildings dominate, with the tall chimney, but some of the older warehouses are still there, hugging the river bank. We’re now on the final bend of the river before the end of the Boat Race course. As Chiswick Bridge comes into view, so does the stripy finishing post, painting in the light and dark blues of Oxford and Cambridge.

Under Chiswick Bridge and we pass Mortlake cemetery and very soon we back into the tree-lined path that began in Putney. There’s been lots of new block of flats built along this length of the river of late, blocking the view of the concrete monster that is the Public Records Office.

Pretty soon we’re at Kew Bridge with a number of boats moored on either side of it. I was welcome to Kew by a docile cat sat on the river wall as Kew Gardens approached. Unfortunately access to the gardens is charged, but you catch glimpses from the river path. You can get in on this side of the river, from the car park, but you also get a great view of Kew Palace, painted a plumy red.

The only other sight along this length of the river is are the flood lands of Syon Park on the opposite bank, plus a fantastic view of Syon House topped of with its lion. If you look carefully into the gardens, down a long ride, you also catch a glimpse of the main glasshouse of Kew.

The rivers turns south at the northern end of Isleworth Ait and we are provided with one of my favourite views of the walk so far. The 14th century tower of Isleworth Church (the rest of the church burnt down in the 1940s) and the cottages around the slipway at Old Isleworth is very picturesque.

On the south bank Kew Gardens have now come to an end, but you don’t really notice the start of the Old Deer Park. The only sign is one of the meridian obelisks which marked the old line of the meridian before it was moved to Greenwich. Through the trees you can catch as glimpse of the King’s Observatory built by George III in 1769.

Now we are approaching Richmond and Richmond Lock, which doubles as a footbridge. The Old Deer Park now opens up and more obelisks marking the meridian can be seen again closer to Twickenham Bridge. At this point a much better view of the observatory can be seen, nicely framed by the trees.

Along Richmond waterfront the crowds pick up, and they stay with us for much of the next stretch. This must be the busiest part of the river since Central London and very pleasant it is on the sunny weekend morning. After Richmond Bridge, we quickly move away from the town and head across Petersham Meadows. Looking back the view is dominated by the steep escarpment behind Richmond topped off with the Star & Garter. This large building is a convalescence home for disabled ex-servicemen and women and was established in 1916 in the former Star & Garter hotel.

As the river curves away, another view across the river of a grand house, this time Marble Hill House. It was built in 1724-29 for Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk. Very soon on the south bank is another house! This time Ham House, built in 1610 for Sir Thomas Vavasour, Knight Marshall to James I. It’s now in the ownership of The National Trust, who have opened up the view to the Thames. You only catch a small glimpse of the house from the path, but you can walked down to building itself.

Back to the river and we pass the community of Eel Pie Island. Then the path returns to it’s semi-rural feel through woodland. There are some narrow sections along the path at this point, a pain when you have cyclists coming at speed from in front and behind. Eventually the trees part and we at the mega-complex of Teddington Lock. This is where the tidal Thames comes to an end. It’s worth going over to the other side of the river to see the main part of the footbridge here. Simple but looks great.

Not much to say about the river from here on in. The buildings of Kingston quickly appear, but the nicer houses are on the other side of the river with they own personal piers. Soon we’re alongside John Lewis and Kingston town centre and time to round things of for today, in anticipation of Hampton Court on the next stage.