Chiswick Bridge

The villages of Chiswick and Mortlake, about 6 mi west of central London on the north and south banks of the River Thames, had been linked by a ferry since at least the 17th century. Both areas were sparsely populated, so there was little demand for a fixed river crossing at that point. With the arrival of railways and the London Underground in the 19th century commuting to London became practical and affordable, and the populations of Chiswick and Mortlake grew rapidly. In 1909 the Great Chertsey Road scheme was proposed, which envisaged building a major new road from Hammersmith, then on the outskirts of London, to Chertsey, 18 mi west of central London, bypassing the towns of Kingston…

The new bridge was designed in reinforced concrete by architect Sir Herbert Baker and engineer Alfred Dryland, with additional input from Considère Constructions, at the time Britain's leading specialist in reinforced concrete construction. The bridge is 606 ft long, and carries two 15 ft wide walkways, and a 40 ft wide road. To allow sufficient clearance for industrial barges yet avoid steep inclines, the approach roads are elevated on embankments. The bridge was built by the Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company at a cost of £208,284 (about £|0}} in ). Additional costs such as building the approach roads and buying land brought the total project cost to £227,600 (about £|0}} in ). The…