| Radcot Bridge | |
|---|---|
Radcot Bridge |
|
| Carries | A4095 road |
| Crosses | River Thames |
| Locale | Radcot, Oxfordshire |
| Maintained by | Oxfordshire County Council |
| Design | arch |
| Material | stone |
| Height | 11 feet 4 inches (3.45 m) |
| Load limit | 18 tonnes (18 long tons; 20 short tons) |
| Opened | circa 1200 |
Radcot Bridge is a crossing of the River Thames in England, south of Radcot, Oxfordshire and not far north of Faringdon, Oxfordshire (formerly Berkshire). It carries the A4095 road across the river on the reach above Radcot Lock. Adjoining the bridge is the Swan Inn and slight earthworks of Matilda's Castle.
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There are in fact three stone bridges at this point on the Thames, from south to north: Radcot Bridge, the Canal Bridge and Pidnell Bridge. Bizarrely, the first is nearest to Pidnell (a hamlet in Faringdon parish) and the last is nearest to Radcot. Whilst built on the Thames, Radcot Bridge is strictly speaking, now on a backwater, since the construction, in 1787, of a new cut for the Thames and Severn Canal. The Canal Bridge was built at the same time.
Radcot Bridge is often claimed as the "oldest bridge on the Thames", having been built, with pointed arches of Taynton stone, around 1200. The Cistercian monks of St Mary at Cîteaux in Normandy were granted land for the purpose by King John. Much of the structure was broken down during the famous battle which took place here in 1387, although it was apparently reconstructed six years later. The bridge was again severely damaged during the Wars of the Roses, and was largely rebuilt as we see it today with a flattened centre arch.
Radcot Bridge became a toll bridge and its wharf was commercially important as the highest shipping point on the Thames, with the junction of the Severn-Thames canal not far away at Lechlade (Gloucestershire).
The Thames Path crosses the bridges.
In a programme in the Time Team series broadcast on 15 February 2009 an excavation on Matilda's Castle was reported on. This showed that the earth works dated from the Civil War when Parliamentary Forces built the earth works as a base for cannon bombarding Royalist Forces holed up in Radcot House. The earth works were found to be on top of the remains of a Norman keep dating from the time of The Anarchy. Much of the remains had been damaged by the Parliamentarians during construction of the earthworks. There were also some possible Roman remains.[1]
| Next crossing upstream | River Thames | Next crossing downstream |
| Eaton Footbridge (pedestrian) | Radcot Bridge | Old Man's Bridge (pedestrian) |
| Next crossing upstream | Thames Path | Next crossing downstream |
| northern bank Bloomers Hole Footbridge |
Radcot Bridge | southern bank Tadpole Bridge |