Upminster Bridge
| Upminster Bridge | |
|---|---|
_011.jpg) Upminster Bridge over the Ingrebourne |
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 Upminster Bridge
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| Upminster Bridge shown within Greater London | |
| OS grid reference | TQ552867 |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HORNCHURCH |
| Postcode district | RM12 |
| Post town | UPMINSTER |
| Postcode district | RM14 |
| Dialling code | 01708 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
Upminster Bridge is a crossing of the River Ingrebourne carrying the A124 road between the suburbs of Hornchurch and Upminster in northeast London, England. The bridge is known to have existed since at least 1375 and the current brick bridge was opened in 1892, replacing a series of wooden bridges. It gave its name to the nearby Upminster Bridge tube station, which opened in 1934, and has also been applied to the neighbourhood around the station in the London Borough of Havering.
The bridge has been alternatively known as Bridge House Bridge and Lower Bridge, with Bridge House referring to a house which stood nearby on the current site of Hornchurch Stadium. The placename Upminster is first recorded in 1062 as Upmynstre and is recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book. It is formed from Old English upp and mynster, possibly meaning the large church on high ground, above the valley of the Ingrebourne. However, it may also indicate the position of an Anglo-Saxon minster secondary to those at Barking or Tilbury.
The bridge has existed since at least 1375. It is recorded in 1617 as being in need of repair. The River Ingrebourne formed the boundary between the ancient parishes of Hornchurch and Upminster. However, upkeep of all bridges over the river were the responsibility of the Upminster parish authorities, as Hornchurch claimed exception due to the charter of the Royal Liberty of Havering. The wooden bridge was destroyed and replaced with another after the winter of 1709/10. Replacement wooden carriage bridges were constructed in 1759 and 1827 and an adjacent ford was in use up until the 19th century. A stone and brick structure was completed in 1892 and contains a time capsule.
The significance of the boundary was reduced in 1934 when both sides became part of Hornchurch Urban District. Upminster Bridge tube station opened in 1934. Until its last replacement with railings in the 1980s by Havering London Borough Council, the bridge used to have two low height cast-iron plated bridge sides that were cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, makers of Big Ben and other bells in the Houses of Parliament. A nearby pub used to bear the name The Bridge House but is now called The Windmill, after a brief period being the Hungry Horse.
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Wikipedia