Walton Bridge

Walton Bridge carries the A244 over the River Thames between Walton-on-Thames and Shepperton. It stands on the reach between Sunbury Lock and Shepperton Lock, upstream of Greater London. Before the first bridge, a ferry had operated at the site since at least the 17th century. Nearby barrows once held spearheads and earthenware vessels found by James Douglas. A Shepperton ferry is recorded in the 15th century, though its exact position is uncertain. The first bridge was built in 1750 to a design by William Etheridge. It gained fame and was painted by Canaletto in 1754. The second bridge, completed in 1788, was designed by James Paine and inspired three paintings by Turner in 1805. The third bridge, an iron girder lattice structure, was damaged during the Second World War and later restricted to cyclists and pedestrians. The sixth and current bridge opened in 2013. It is a single-span thrust arch bridge with no piers in the river, improving views and navigation. The bridge also carries a variation of the Thames Path for cyclists, linking to the towpath near Chertsey Bridge. It is the first single-span bridge heading up the Thames, with the next pair at Runnymede.