Henley Bridge

Henley Bridge is a historic road bridge in England, built in 1786. It spans the River Thames between the towns of Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire and Remenham in Berkshire. The bridge is famous for its five elegant elliptical stone arches, which give it a unique and beautiful look.

It connects Hart Street in Henley to White Hill, which is part of the A4130 road, in Remenham. The bridge also crosses the river between Hambleden Lock and Marsh Lock, and it carries the popular Thames Path for walkers and cyclists.

Henley Bridge is very important historically and architecturally, which is why it is protected as a Grade I listed building. This means the bridge is carefully looked after to preserve its special features for people to enjoy for many years to come.

History

People have crossed this part of the River Thames since very old times. The bridge we see today replaced an older wooden bridge, and you can still see parts of that old wooden bridge under the Henley Royal Regatta building. Some people think Romans used an even older stone bridge here long ago, but many others disagree. The first written record of a bridge here is from the year 1232. Later, in 1354, there were small buildings and chapels on the bridge. A big flood in 1774 destroyed part of the bridge, but some pieces of the very old bridge from the 1200s are still there.

Present bridge

The Henley Bridge was designed in 1781 by William Hayward from Shrewsbury, though he passed away before building started. John Townesend, a mason from Oxford, built the bridge for around £10,000.

The bridge has special sculptures of Isis and Tamesis made by Anne Seymour Damer. They sit at the top of the middle arch on each side. In June 1829, the bridge was where the very first Oxford and Cambridge boat race ended. Oxford won, and about 20,000 people watched the race.

Adjacent features

The Leander Club, one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world, is near the bridge on the Berkshire side. On the Oxfordshire (Henley) side, you can find the Angel on the Bridge riverside public house and the Red Lion Hotel, an old coaching inn. St Mary the Virgin, the main church in Henley, is also close by.