Restoring a bridge built from frustration

Communications

Sep 22

2 min read

There aren't many structures that can claim to have been built because someone was deeply annoyed, but the bridge crossing the Thames at Clifton Hampden, Oxfordshire is one of them. Our team have been working to repair and restore this bridge and return it to its original glory.

The event that precipitated the building of a bridge at Clifton Hampden was a ceremonial trip down the Thames from Oxford to London by the Lord Mayor of London William Venables. The shallow, rocky nature of the river in the area led to his barge becoming stranded for several hours until river levels could be raised via weirs upstream. This frustration led to a weir being constructed at Clifton Hampden, deepening the river. Alas, the knock-on effect of the weir was that fording the river with herds of cattle or horses became untenable. Now a great many people were frustrated and demands were made for a bridge.

One parliamentary act, a design by esteemed architect Sir George Gilbert Scott, personal funding from the Governor of the Bank of England and a few decades later, and Clifton Hampden bridge was opened in 1867.

View of Clifton Hampden bridge with Greenford contractors working on repointing an arch from a pontoon

The bridge is built in striking red brick with six gothic arches along its span and triangular breakwaters on its piers, a testament to the possibility of both beauty and function in public infrastructure. It boasts a Grade II listing.

Detail of under arch area on Clifton Hampden bridge

Greenford was commissioned to repoint the masonry and replace broken bricks to restore the bridge's structural stability and character. We carefully selected materials and techniques to match the original construction and maintain the bridge's historical authenticity. This included using lime mortar and sourcing bricks that closely resembled the original ones. The lime mortar was carefully selected to ensure compatibility with the existing masonry.

We used handmade replacement bricks which match the size, colour, and texture of the original bricks. Along the way, we identified structural issues such as loose and displaced stones and reset stones and reinforced masonry where necessary to ensure the bridge's stability.

Now, the bridge built from frustration will be a stable, beautiful and pleasurable crossing for many years to come.