Swinford, Berkshire
| Swinford | |
| Berkshire | |
|---|---|
 Swinford Bridge | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SP448081 |
| Location: | 51°46’14"N, 1°21’7"W |
| Data | |
| Postcode: | OX29 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Vale of White Horse |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Oxford West and Abingdon |
Swinford is a tiny hamlet in Berkshire, sitting on the south bank of the River Thames, opposite Eynsham in Oxfordshire, to which it is linked by a bridge and causeway bearing the B4044 over the Thames and the brooks coursing the meadows on the Oxfordshire bank.
The hamlet is on the B4044 between Eynsham and Farmoor, and on no other road, though a bridleway hugs the south bank of the Thames here and a footpath comes to Swinford itself. Wytham Great Wood, a 'Site of Special Scientific Interest' owned by the University of Oxford and used for research in zoology and climate change, lies immediately to the west.
Swinford is attached to the civil parish of Cumnor.
Swinford Toll Bridge
The Swinford Toll Bridge is a fine, stone-built bridge spanning the river. It is a privately owned toll bridge, crossing the river just above Eynsham Lock, between Eynsham on the Oxfordshire bank and Swinford on the Berkshire bank. It carries the B4044 road (the former A40 until 1936) from Oxford to Eynsham.
The bridge is a Georgian structure built of Cotswold limestone. It was opened in 1769 and replaced a ferry. The construction of the bridge was funded by the Earl of Abingdon.[1] The bridge is governed by its own Act of Parliament.[2] It allows the bridge owner to collect tolls and makes the building of bridges across the river illegal for three miles either way up or down stream from Swinford. By repute, the owners do not pay tax on the revenue from the tolls as a perquisite from King George III. It is one of the two remaining toll bridges that cross the Thames upstream of London, the other being Whitchurch Bridge.
In 1835 tolls for pedestrians over Swinford bridge were abolished.[3] Pedal cycles and motorcycles are also exempt from tolls. Other classes of traffic remain subject to tolls, which are £0.05 in the case of cars.
The bridge was put up for sale in 2009[4][5] and was sold at auction on 3 December for £1.08 million.[6][7]
See also
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Swinford, Berkshire) |
- Swinford Toll Bridge - Eynsham village
- History of the bridge
References
- ↑ Fred. S. Thacker The Thames Highway: Volume II Locks and Weirs 1920 - republished 1968 David & Charles
- ↑ An Act for building a Bridge cross the River Thames, from Swinford, in the County of Berks, to Eynsham, in the County of Oxford, 7 George III, c. 63. dated 1767 (Ref No HL/PO/PU/1/1767/7G3n22).
- ↑ Crossley, Alan; Elrington, C.R. (eds); Baggs, A.P.; W.J., Blair; Chance, Eleanor Chance; Colvin, Christina; Cooper, Janet; Day, C.J. et al. (1990). A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 12: Wootton Hundred (South) including Woodstock. Victoria County History of the Counties of England. pp. 98–110. ISBN 0-19-722774-0.
- ↑ Daily Mail retrieved 16 November 2009
- ↑ Qureshi, Huma (2009-11-17). "Tax-free Thames toll bridge for sale". The Guardian (Guardian Media Group). http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2009/nov/17/swinford-toll-bridge-for-sale. Retrieved 2011-07-13. "Swinford toll bridge near the village of Eynsham in Oxfordshire is for sale at auction with a guide price of £1m-£1.25m. [...] Toll charges on the bridge were last raised in 1994, but local residents are calling for the charges to be scrapped."
- ↑ Turner, Lauren (2009-12-03). "The 5p toll bridge is sold for £1.08m". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/the-5p-toll-bridge-is-sold-for-pound108m-1833601.html. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
- ↑ Allsop auction catalogue
- de Villiers, E. (1969). Swinford Toll Bridge 1769-1969. Eynsham: Eynsham History Group.
