Day 9: Datchet - Maidenhead

I’m struggling to find weekends when I can do some of the walk now. Either I’m busy with other things, or like last weekend the weather was lousy. Luckily we had a bright sunny day, and like much of this autumn it was unusually warm from the time of year. It was also the day the clocks went back – winter will be here soon!

So to Datchet, and a short walk from the station to the river – just what I like. However, the walk starts along the main road through the village, until eventually a small path turns back to the river. There is then a pleasant stroll through the riverside woods with the first glimpse of Windsor Castle. Very soon I’m at the Victoria Bridge, the companion bridge to the Albert Bridge further downstream. The path cross back over the river at this point onto The Home Park. Here there are great views of both the Castle and Eton College chapel. And on this Sunday morning the park is packed with schoolboy rugby – so this could well be the ‘playing fields of Eton’. The path then passes under the railway and through a boatyard. Windsor Lock is nearby, but we don’t go anywhere near. Then very quickly I’m in Windsor itself. At this point the path cross the river again over the pedestrian only Windsor Bridge across to the southern end of Eton High Street.

The path then goes past the old Eton Boat House and onto the meadows with the classic river view of the Castle. Up ahead I quickly catch up with a ‘crocodile’ of OAPs on a morning stroll. Eventually I get past them at one of the bridges that pass over the river just west of Windsor. On the southern bank the eastern edge of Windsor Race Course can be seen while the river kinks quiet sharply. I follow the river but the OAPs take the short cut. By the time I rejoin the main path, they’ve overtaken me and I have to go through the same delicate process of trying to get past them!

The path no edges fields until it reaches Boveney Lock and goes on to the small, wooden built chapel dedicated to St Mary Magdalene. The chapel was once in a quiet spot by Boveney Court alongside the vast expanse of Dorney Fields. However, now there is a bit more going on here. Particularly today. Ahead is Dorney Lake, Eton College’s purpose built rowing lake construction of which began in 1996 and took 10 years to fully develop. It was used earlier this year for the World Rowing Championships and will be the rowing venue for the 2012 Olympics. The facility opened in 2000, and today was playing host to a 10,000 km race for Cancer Research UK.

The rowing lake run diagonally away from the river and eventually it is in the distance, while the riverside path winds it way through riparian woodland. Eventually the gothic splendour of Oakley Court appears on the opposite side of the river. Oakley is now a hotel was originally built as a private house in 1859 for Sir Richard Hall Say. In 1965 the then owner died and the property stood empty for 14 years, but with Bray Studios next door, it was used as a setting in a number of films in particular the St Trinians series, The Rocky Horror Show, Half A Sixpence, Murder by Death and a number of Hammer House Horror films including Dracula.

Soon I am at Bray Lock, a very small lock that is about to go through some refurbishment and bank strengthening work over the winter. The M4 bridge is then close by and the rest of the walk involves more woodland paths up to the large riverside houses at Taplow and Maidenhead, leading to Brunel’s impressive bridge for the Great Western line. Unlike at Datchet, I then have a walk of just over a mile to Maidenhead station. Bad news!

Bridges No.31 - Teddington Footbridge

The Teddington Lock Footbridge crosses a particularly wide part of the river at the point where the tidal influences on the river cease. There are two parts of the bridge, the bit I took a picture of the suspension bridge, being the most interesting and largest - it links Teddington to the lock island. Another iron girder bridge crosses the channel of the lock system from the island to Ham.

Until Teddington Lock was built, the river was tidal as far as Kingston. Construction began in 1810 and was completed with the weir in 1812. The first lock was entirely built from timber and had to be repaired in 1825. A major rebuild took place in 1856-8 when foundation stones were laid and a narrow skiff lock was included. In 1869 a boat slide was added and in 1904-5 a large the barge lock was built. This is now the largest lock along the whole length of the Thames.

The two bridge were put in place between 1887 and 1889. The bridges were designed by G Pooley and replaced a ferry at Teddington.

Bridges No.30 - Richmond Bridge

Richmond has the honour of being the oldest surviving bridge in Greater London. It was built in 1777 and replaced a long-lasting ferry service. The ferry operator, William Windham, petitioned parliament for a Bill permitting a bridge to be built at Richmond. However, there was considerable resistance from the local residents. They did not like the idea of a wooden bridge, the traditional construction material for bridges at the time, being built in Richmond. There was also opposition towards a toll bridge. However, stone was considered a more acceptable building material and this was ultimatley chosen.

The architects of the bridge were James Paine and Kenton Couse, and it was constructed between 1774 and 1777. Despite the opposition to tolls, this was the usually arrangement for bridges at the time, prior to ownership by local authorities. At Richmond there were gates at either end of the bridge, with small lodges for the toll-collectors.

Ownership of the bridge passed to the counties of Surrey and Middlesex in 1927, the 150th anniversary of opening of the bridge. Ten years later the bridge was widen on the upstream side.

Day 8: Staines - Datchet

A surprisingly warm and sunny day for late September for the next stage towards Windsor. Staines has been an unusual town compared to the other I’ve passed through so far in that it has pretty much turned it’s back on the river. There is very little going on along the Staines river frontage. A new winding path, decking and awnings have been put in place over recent years (probably a Millennium project). There is the obligatory piece of public art, one of which I quite liked. It was a sculpture, in a very shiny metal, of two origami swans. Indeed having looked on the web now I see that this area goes by the name of the Artwalk.

After this short walk the path crosses Staines Bridge, and continues along the river next to office buildings and industrial sites. Shortly two features, one old and one new, mark the last influences of London. The first is another City of London coalpost, this time a white painted iron post. This will be the last I pass on the Thames. Close by is what many would now regard as the edge of London – the M25. The extra wide motorway is carried over the river on two bridges, but the path continues under and runs past a groups of houses and the grounds of Bell Weir Lock. Soon the houses give way to open ground, a park area and the start of Runnymede Meadows. Once round this kink in the river we are onto the Meadows proper (albeit between road and river), on National Trust land. The Meadows themselves are famous as the camping grounds of King John and his army, when in 1215 John signed and sealed the Magna Carta on the island across the river. There are many notable buildings and monuments that have been erected here, all in the last 100 years. The first is high up on the wooded ridge to the west. This is the Commonwealth Air Forces Memorial built in 1952 in memory of the airmen from across the Commonwealth who lost their lives during the Second World War. The names of the missing airmen are carved into the walls around a cloister and the tower has views across seven counties.

A short walk further on and there is a good view from the path of the Magna Carta Memorial. This was built in 1957 to a design by Sir Edward Maufe. It was built by the American Bar Association and consists of a domed roof resting on classical columns. One of the pillars is carved from English granite and carries the inscription “TO COMMEMORATE MAGNA CARTA, SYMBOL OF FREEDOM UNDER THE LAW”.

Nearby, but not visible from the path is another monument in memory of John F Kennedy. In December 1963 the British Government gave an acre of land, where the monument now sits, to the United States in memory of their assassinated President. Given all the relevance of Runnymede and its importance in the formation of modern democracy, this just seems like another stretch of the Thames.

Up ahead are two gatehouses leading at the edge of Runnymede Meadows. They were designed by Edward Lutyens on commission from the Lady Fairhaven in memory or her husband Urban Hanlow Broughton, Lord Fairhaven, the then landowner of Runnymede. One now houses a National Trust tearoom making a great stop of point for a break.

The path then comes very close to the main road and a roundabout. The sign ahead says Old Windsor and marks our passing from Surrey into Berkshire. Having passed a Harvester it’s back to a stretch of river with very large houses with very large gardens running down to the river, all of them looking very desirable! One house even has a pet owl called Dobby. On the edge of Old Windsor a side path leads round to the delightful Old Windsor Parish Church.

Back along the riverside and we arrive at Old Windsor Lock. Here the path deviates away from the main river channel and follows a special cut. Indeed even the boats are directed up the cut, quite a narrow straight channel up towards Albert Bridge. At the end of the cut, the path enters the most rural area yet with no buildings visible on either bank. But around the corner is Albert Bridge where we cross the river. The reason for this is that we are now alongside Windsor Great Park and the area ahead is closed for security reasons. It runs close to Frogmore House, and later Windsor Castle itself. But for now the path leads along a short river path before heading away from the river, down the side of a field and back to the road to the edge of Datchet. This whole stretch of the walk is dominated by the Heathrow flight path with a plane passing very close overhead every few minutes.

Once into Datchet I come to a stop when the road meets the river once more. This is the point of the old Datchet Bridge, now no longer there. I’ll explain more when I get to tell you about Albert Bridge, but for now it a short stroll up High Street and Datchet Station.

Bridges No.29 - Richmond Railway Bridge

Richmond Railway Bridge today carries trains on the South West Trains network out towards Reading and Windsor. It is on a stretch of track between Richmond and St Margaret's stations. The line from Richmond to Waterloo, via Clapham Junction opened in 1846, but the ambition has always been to run passenger services from Waterloo, direct to Royal Windsor. A year after the Richmond line opened, and Act was passed permitting the extension of the line to Windsor via Staines. The Windsor, Staines and South-Western Railway Company had the honour to go ahead and build the line.

To get to Staines and Windsor the bridge had to cross the river, and a new railway bridge was designed for this purpose by Joseph Locke. The bridge was constructed from cast iron and consisted of three 100 foot spans formed of six iron ribs bolted together. On the Richmond side of the river, a brick viaduct were built to carry the line across the sloping ground of the Old Deer Park.

The line opened in 1848 and Locke's bridge continued in service for 60 years. In 1891 a cast iron railway bridge at Norbury Junction, near Croydon, collapsed. The design was similar to Richmond Bridge and concerns arose regarding the safety of the bridge. By 1906 the railway company instructed the Horseley Bridge Company to replace Locke's bridge. The new bridge was designed by J.W. Jacomb-Hood, the chief engineer at the London & South Western Railway.

The bridge was complete in 1908 and is still in use today. Like other railway bridge, it is effectively more than one bridge, with each line being supported on a separate crossing. The only significant work on the bridge was in 1984 when the main girders and decking were replaced.

Bridges No.28 - Twickenham Bridge

Twickenham Bridge has already had a mention here in the entry for Chiswick Bridge. Both were part of road improvements in the 1930s when the Great Chertsey Road was constructed. Twickenham Bridge was designed by Maxwell Ayrton, but follows the design of Sir Herbert Baker's Chiswick Bridge. It has constructed from reinforced concrete with bronze ballustrades and lamps. Unlike Chiswick, Twickenham Bridge is has not been finished with Portland stone. However, Twickenham has an extra feature not found on Chiswick - namely hinged sections at to allow for the bridge absorb vibrations and movements. The bridge opened in July 1933 on the same day as both Chiswick and Hampton Court Bridges. There was some local resistance the the construction of the bridge in the 1920s and 30s, as it did have to pass through park of Richmond Old Deer Park.

Day 7: Shepperton - Staines

A shorter leg to walk today, but the weather is nowhere near as good as it on previous legs. Its overcast, but reasonably warm. However, as has been the case through most of September, it was muggy. I drove to Staines and caught the bus to Shepperton, which was a lot more alive on a Saturday than a few weeks ago on a Sunday.

At the end of Ferry Lane, where I’d previously caught the ferry to, I finally returned to the Thames Path. Much of the walk to Staines involves a walk very close to the river bank. However, there’s also a road right alongside, and this begins here at Shepperton Lock. A very English setting around the lock was taking place this morning with a fete of sorts in aid of the RNLI. As I passed a couple were setting up the stall for the Surrey branch of the International Guild of Knot Tyers, ironically having great difficulty knotting their banner to their tent. This, though, was to be the most exciting bit of this walk.

Sadly, there was little of consequence to see along this stretch of the river. That’s not to say it isn’t picturesque, but there are long stretch’s alongside roads and then even longer stretches alongside people’s houses. After a few sharp turns in the river upstream of Shepperton the small road from the ferry finally leaves the river and we are onto a dirt track. This must be the first ‘natural’ footpath I’ve been on so far in the walk and shows that London is now being left behind. There are some large houses and gardens here, including one with a boat house with direct access to the river. Normally the footpath would divert around it, but in this case it goes up and over the roof.

The path soon starts to weave around a little as it passes a small collection of house boats. The residents here clearly do not welcome the cyclists who tear along other stretches of the Thames Path, as there are lots of home made no cycling signs attached to almost every tree.

As Chertsey nears the path enters Dumsey Meadows. My book tells me this river meadow is the last before London, so yet another sign of the rural feel of the walk. However, Dumsey Meadows are quite compact, and very soon I’m passing under Chertsey Bridge and back to another path between road and river. And I am alongside this road all the way to the village of Laleham with the only significant features being Chertsey Lock and the M3!

At Laleham the road leaves the river allowing the riverside houses of the village to overlook the Thames. Around the next corner is Penton Hook, a very tight meander in the river whose neck was flooded on so many occasions in the 19th century that barges used it as a short-cut. So popular did it become that a full channel was cut across the neck and a weir and lock system built. Penton Hook Lock was also the further upstream lock built by the Corporation of London, and like at other locks this is clear with the City’s crest present of the gable end of the lockkeeper’s cottage.

We are now on the edge of Staines, and the river path now just passes the many varied houses. Across the river I spy a post with a red cross on it. Could this be another City of London coal post? I’ll need to check, but I get a snap of it on maximum zoom.

Approaching Staines the shopping centre and BUPA offices dominate the skyline. But it was a real surprise to see St Peter’s Church right alongside the river. A wedding was just getting underway as I passed.

Bridges No.27 - Richmond Lock

Next up is a rather curious structure that looks like a bridge, and doubles as a bridge but has another identity - a tidal barrier.

The river, even at Richmond is still tidal in nature although we are now very close to Teddington where all marine influence ends. Until 1832 the Old London Bridge (the one with all the houses built on it) had almost acted as a full barrier across the Thames and had reduced the tidal effects further upstream. When it was demolished there were unexpected consequences further upstream. Some bridges suffered from increased erosion at the base of their piers and ultimately had to be replaced with the faster moving tides. At the same time dredging activity increased in the lower reaches of the river. At Richmond the size of the river shrunk significantly to the extent that on some occassion it was little more than a stream running through mudbanks. The river can still get quite narrow - just look at my picture of Barnes Bridge at low tide to see.

In 1890 premission was given for the construction of a half-lock and weir just downstream of Richmond. A barge lock was built against the Surrey bank joined by a weir and three sluice gates. To operate the sluices a superstructure was required and it was decided that this should take the form of a footbridge. For two hours during high tide the sluices are raised into the footbridge structure and boats can pass through as if this were a normal bridge. For the rest of the tidal cycle the sluices are moved down and closed. Boats must then use the lock system. This results in maintaining water levels between Richmond and Teddington locks.

Bridges No.26 - Kew Bridge

Kew Bridge has a lot of history tied up in it reflecting the changing nature of business, the nobility and royalty in this part of West London. Kew has also been a popular crossing point through history. There have been three bridges here and prior to all of them a horse-drawn ferry. It was the Tunstall family, led by Robert Tunstall, who owned and operated the ferry service, that petitioned Parliament for permission to build a bridge at Kew. Work began on the first bridge in 1758 by John Barnard who had previously worked on Westminster Bridge. It was inaugurated on 1 June 1759 by George, the Prince of Wales. It was George's father Frederick who took a lease at Kew House in 1731 and rebuilt it. This is now Kew Place, and the Royal Botantic Gardens grew up around it.

Like other private bridges of the time, Kew Bridge charged a toll. The opening of the bridge, and its connections with the Prince of Wales resulted in much excitement. 3,000 people used the bridge on its first day open to the general public. Even so, new London bridges still attract the crowds as we saw with the Millennium Bridge. Barnard's bridge consisted of two stone arches next to each bank connected together by 7 timber arches. But because the bulk of the bridge was wooden it suffered from both barge stikes and river scour and prooved costly to keep in good repair. It only stood for 30 years.

In 1782 the son of Tunstall, also called Robert, received consent to replace the bridge and work commenced in June 1783. James Paine designed the new bridge following his previous work upstream at Richmond. The new bridge was constructed entirely out of stone (Portland and Purbeck) and opened on 22 September 1789. Once again George had the honour of opening it, but now in his capacity as King George III.

In 1819 the bridge was sold at auction to a Mr Robinson for £23,000 and then in 1873 it was purchased by the Metropolitan Board of Works for £57,000. Tolls were then lifted, but an arched entrance was erected on the Brentford side of the bridge. By the 1890s, however, the bridge was struggling to handle the increasing weight of traffic. It was also prooving too narrow for more modern vehicles and was too steep on the northern side. The engineer Sir John Wolfe Barry recommended that a new bridge should be built.

A new bridge was then commissioned jointly by Middlesex and Surrey County Councils (Kew was then outside the offical London boundary - the then London County Council area being much smaller than today's Greater London area). John Wolfe Barry was retained to design the bridge alongside another engineer Cuthbert A Brereton. Easton Gibbs & Son were the building contractors. It is built from granite sourced from the far ends of the country - Cornwall and Aberdeenshire. The bridge is decorated with the crests of the two counties of Surrey and Middlesex.

The third and present day bridge was opened in May 1903 and as was becoming tradition at Kew, royalty opened it. This time King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra did the honours by laying the final coping stone. Following the opening the bridge was renamed as the King Edward VII Bridge, but this prooved unpopular (and probably too much of a mouthful to say) and the name quickly reverted back to Kew Bridge.

Bridges No.25 - Kew Railway Bridge

Kew Railway Bridge is the most westerly crossing point for the Underground. It links Gunnersbury and Kew Gardens stations on the District Line, and is also used by Silverlink Metro services on the North London line.

In 1864 the London & South-Western Railway Company extended their line from South Acton Junction to Richmond and a bridge crossing was required. W R Galbraith designed the bridge and it was built by Brassey & Ogilvie and opened in 1869.

When the bridge was built it was not liked by locals in the hamlet of Strand on the Green on the north bank. However, compared to London's other railway bridge, this is very elegent. The lattice girders lighten the bulk of the structure and provide a neat design link with the nearby Kew Gardens.

Bridges No.24 - Chiswick Bridge

In the 1930s major improvements were made to what is now the A316 or the Great Chertsey Road. As part of a grand scheme two new bridge were constructed here at Chiswick and further upstream at Twickenham. Chiswick had the honour of opening first in July 1933. It is also one of the first road bridges we've come to so far that wasn't preceeded by an older pre-20th century bridge. Also this is still the original.

It was designed by Sir Herbert Baker with engineering advice from Alfred Dryland and is very similar in design to Twickenham Bridge. Both bridges were constructed with ferro-concrete, but Chiswick has an outer skin of Portland stone giving a special glow when the sun shines upon it. I also think it makes Chiswick Bridge look that little bit grander.

Bridges No.23 - Barnes Bridge

Like Hammersmith Bridge, Barnes Railway Bridge has become something of a landmark thanks to the Boat Race. But in context Barnes Bridge looks a little out of place next to the elegant riverside cottages of Barnes.

In 1847 the Windsor, Staines and South-Western Railway were given permission to build a line from Barnes to Feltham. Joseph Locke and Thomas Brassey were commissioned to design a bridge to cross the Thames to connect Barnes with Chiswick. The three-arch cast iron bridge was the result.

The bridge opened for use in 1849 and quickly became popular, not only for passenger trains, but also freight trains avoiding the busier line through Richmond. It also is a handy by-pass line in the present day, particularly on those frequent weekends when Network Rail are carrying out engineering work on the main Richmond - Feltham line.

Between 1891 and 1895 the bridge was strengthen with the addition of a new adjacent bridge. A footbridge on the downstream side was also added at this time. Later in 1916 Barnes Bridge station opened on a site immediately to the south of the bridge.

Bridges No.22 - Hammersmith Bridge

The current bridge at Hammersmith is the second at this point, and interestingly the same type of bridge has been used on both occassion: a suspension bridge. Like other London bridges, Hammersmith Bridge came about following the passing of an Act of Parliament. This occured in 1824 and work quickly began the following year. The first bridge was designed by William Tierney Clarke and was the first suspension bridge built across the Thames in London. He also designed Marlow Bridge ,which I'll be passing later in my walk, and is probably one of the finest bridges on the middle reaches of the Thames. Hammersmith Bridge opened in 1827 and consisted of two brick piers above which stood two towers providing arched entrances onto the bridge. Eight chains were string from the towers for the timber roadway to hang from.

Echoing the fate of Albert Bridge, the increasing weight of traffic on Hammersmith Bridge was causing problems. By 1870 the prospect of 11-12,000 people standing on the bridge to watch the Boat Race was considered a little risky. In 1884 a temporary bridge was built while work on a replacement got underway.

Sir Joseph Bazalgette again came to the rescue with a design that retained the suspension bridge style which must surely have been a now well recognised landmark on this part of the river. The new bridge opened in 1887. The towers on Bazalgette's bridge are made from wrought iron with cross beams to form the illusion of arches.

The bridge has in recent years had to be strengthened and following an IRA terrorist bomb attack in 2000 has been subject to a 7.5 tonne weight restriction. The bridge had also been targeted in 1996 but that bomb had failed to detonate. The 2000 bombing however was strong enough to rip through some of the bridge's girders as the photo opposite shows.

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.