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Hands Off Our Bridge!

Maidenhead Bridge Maidenhead Bridge, listed Grade 1, is the symbol of Maidenhead. So the astonishing proposal from a South Bucks councillor to knock it down and replace it with 'something classy' was met firstly with disbelief and then with horror. If there is a traffic problem along A4 between Maidenhead Police Station and Lake End, it is not caused by the single carriageway road and bridge, but by the junctions, traffic lights and roundabouts along the route. Even if the problem is sufficient to justify another river crossing, which is debatable, that is not a reason to demolish the most handsome of the many 18th century stone bridges across the Thames. If either the South Bucks or Royal Borough should pursue this bizarre suggestion, Maidenhead Heritage Trust will make its protest heard, loud and clear. So will the rest of Maidenhead: the Advertiser has rarely received so many letters of outrage.

Replacing a timber bridge dating back to the mid-13th century, our bridge was built between 1772 and 1777 to designs by Sir Robert Taylor, whose other works include Harleyford Manor and Lincolns Inn. It was originally designed with 15 arches 'in the manner of Westminster (bridge)', but was actually built with 13 arches. The voussoirs around each arch are in Taylor's signature style, known as 'vermiculated rustication' – very deeply cut, and they look like cheese which has been nibbled by a mouse.

Until very recently the Borough boundary, which generally runs down the centre of the river, went ashore at Skindles and round the Taplow end of the bridge, precisely so that both ends of it should be in Maidenhead. Now the boundary goes straight down the river, and half the bridge is in Bucks, the other half in Berkshire.

Reprinted from Maidenhead Heritage Centre Newsletter No. 42, March 2006.

Ed. It appears we have gained half of the bridge as a result of the boundary change - so when can we start calling it the Maidenhead and Taplow Bridge?