Hampton Court Bridge
| Hampton Court Bridge | |
|---|---|
Hampton Court bridge in 2006
|
|
| Coordinates | 51°24′14″N 0°20′33″W / 51.40389°N 0.34250°W |
| Crosses | River Thames |
| Locale |
East Molesey Hampton Court Palace |
| Heritage status | Grade II listed structure |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Arch |
| Material | Concrete with a brick finish |
| Height | 19 ft 5 in (5.9 m) |
| No. of spans | 3 |
| Piers in water | 2 |
| History | |
| Designer | W. P. Robinson Sir Edward Lutyens |
| Opened | 3 July 1933 |
Coordinates: 51°24′14″N 0°20′33″W / 51.40389°N 0.34250°W
Hampton Court Bridge crosses the River Thames in England approximately north–south between Hampton, London and East Molesey, Surrey. It is the upper of two road bridges on the reach above Teddington Lock and downstream of Molesey Lock.
The bridge is the most upstream crossing of all of the Thames bridges of Greater London; uniquely one bank is within the county.
The location of the bridge had been a ferry crossing point since at least the Tudor period.
The first bridge was built from 1752 until 1753 and opened in December that year, after a 1750 parliamentary bill agreed on the construction of a privately owned bridge by James Clarke. It had seven wooden arches and was built in the Chinoiserie design of the Willow pattern that was popular at the time, attested by two prints made in the year of its opening and the year after.
This bridge was replaced by a more sturdy eleven-arch wooden bridge in 1778. By 1840 this bridge had become dilapidated and the owner appealed to the Corporation of London to support reconstruction. Among their arguments were that since the bridge was built, the City had created Molesey Lock and Weir and as a consequence navigation through the bridge was dangerous. The bridge was described at about this time as "crazy, hog-backed, inconvenient and obstructive of the navigation".
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