Richmond Railway Bridge

Richmond Railway Bridge
Richmond Railway Bridge looking downstream
Carries	National Rail services operated by South West Trains
Crosses	River Thames
Locale	Richmond
Maintained by	Network Rail
Heritage status	Grade II listed structure
Characteristics
Design	Truss arch bridge
Material	Steel
Total length	91.5 metres
No. of spans	3
History
Designer	Joseph Locke
Opened	1848; rebuilt 1908

Richmond Railway Bridge in Richmond, south-west London crosses the River Thames immediately upstream of Twickenham Bridge. It carries National Rail services operated by South West Trains on the Waterloo to Reading Line, and lies between Richmond and St. Margarets stations.

After the railway came to Richmond station in 1846, the line was extended to Windsor. Joseph Locke and J E Errington designed the original bridge – and a similar bridge at Barnes – with three 100-foot cast iron girders supported on stone-faced land arches with two stone-faced river piers. Due to concerns over its structural integrity, the bridge was rebuilt in 1908 reusing the existing piers and abutments to a design by the London & South Western Railway's chief engineer, J W Jacomb-Hood. The main bridge girders and decking were replaced in 1984.

The bridge and the approach viaduct, which crosses Richmond's Old Deer Park, was declared a Grade II listed structure in 2008, providing protection to preserve its special character from unsympathetic development.

Richmond Railway Bridge, Illustrated London News, 21 October 1848

Richmond Railway Bridge looking downstream with Twickenham Bridge in the background

Richmond Railway Bridge manufacturer's plaque

Thames as seen from Richmond Railway Bridge