Whitchurch Bridge

Infobox_Bridge
bridge_name= Whitchurch Bridge


caption=Whitchurch Bridge as seen from Pangbourne Meadow
official_name=
carries= B471 road
crosses=River Thames
locale= Pangbourne
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height=convert|13|ft|7|in|m [River Thames Alliance. [http://www.visitthames.co.uk/text.asp?PageId=320 Bridge heights on the River Thames.] ]
clearance=
below=
traffic=
open= 1902
closed=
toll= 20p for cars
£2 for vehicles of over 3.5 tonnes
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Whitchurch Bridge is a toll road bridge over the River Thames in England. It carries the road between the villages of Pangbourne, Berkshire, and Whitchurch-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, and crosses the river on the reach above Mapledurham Lock, just before Whitchurch Lock. The bridge has a weight limit of 7.5 tonnes.

Whitchurch Bridge is one of the few remaining private toll bridges across the River Thames, being owned and maintained by "The Company of Proprietors of Whitchurch Bridge" entirely from toll receipts. The Company is empowered to collect tolls at any time of the day or night to finance its operations. However, tolls are normally collected only from 7am until 9pm on weekdays, 8am to 8pm on Saturdays, and 9am to 8pm on Sundays. At the time of writing (January 2006) tolls range from 20p for cars to £2 for vehicles of over 3.5 tonnes. The Thames Path crosses the river on this bridge, but there is no charge for pedestrians.

There has been a bridge on the site since 1792, but the current bridge is the third on the site and dates from 1902. When it was opened, the charges were a halfpenny each for pedestrians, sheep, boars and pigs, and two pence for each and every wheel of a carriage.

The company states that it plans to rebuild the bridge in 2013.

See also

*Crossings of the River Thames

References

External links

* [http://www.whitchurchonthames.com/bridge.html Whitchurch Bridge web page from Whitchurch-on-Thames village web site]
* [http://www.whitchurchbridge.com The Company of Proprietors of Whitchurch Bridge website]

River bridge line|upstream=Gatehampton Railway Bridge (railway) |downstream=Caversham Bridge (road)
location = SU636768River item line |upstream = northern bank
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downstream = southern bank
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