Shiplake Railway Bridge

The current bridge was built in 1897. It consists of wrought-iron plate girders supported by cast-iron cylinders filled with concrete. It replaces an earlier timber bridge built in 1857. There were originally two tracks, but the whole line is now single track only; the cylinders which supported the second track still stand today.

In the late 1990s the bridge was the focus of controversy spanning several years after local politicians sought funding from the Millennium Commission to transform it into the 'Millennium Bridge'. The intention was to create a major local tourist attraction by using the supports for the redundant track as the basis for a secondary bridge which would connect walkers' leisure routes and link to a new section of the National Cycle Network. The proposals split the opinions of the residents of the two villages the bridge was to join. Many in Wargrave saw the advantages of an easy crossing to Shiplake, whilst there were many in Shiplake who were concerned the riverbank was going to be overrun…