Windsor Bridge

It is likely that the first bridge on this site was built in the 12th century AD. By 1172 it is recorded that Osbert de Bray derived over £4 from tolls levied on vessels passing beneath the bridge. In 1242, permission was granted for oak trees to be felled in Windsor Forest for the purpose of constructing a new bridge between Windsor and Eton. By 1819 the wooden bridge, presumably rebuilt many times over its life, had deteriorated and it was decided to build a new bridge in new materials.

Construction on the current bridge was started in 1822 and it opened on 1 June 1824. The bridge has three arches, each comprising seven cast iron segments, and is supported in mid-stream by two granite piers. Built as a road bridge, tolls were originally levied on traffic crossing the bridge. Following protests and a court case, The Mayor &c. of New Windsor and ano. v Joseph Taylor, which went to the highest court at the time, these tolls were scrapped in 1897. In the 20th century the bridge carried the A332, the busy main road between Slough and Windsor. In 1970, cracks were discovered in some of the cast iron segments, and despite local protests, but with almost equal support, it was…