Bathampton Toll Bridge

Bathampton Toll Bridge stands in the countryside east of Bath. It carries a minor road over the River Avon on nine pointed arches of Bath stone. Three larger arches form the centre while three smaller ones appear at each end. The north end was built over an earlier bridge and mill leat from the 1850s. That first bridge had replaced a ford and ferry used before then. The present structure was finished in 1872 by Hickes and Isaac for the Bridge Company Turnpike Trust. The bridge is Grade II listed and has a Grade II listed toll house beside it. The toll house is two storeys high with a steep slate roof. A board showing old toll prices still hangs on its wall. In 2021 the bridge earned over a million pounds, the tenth highest revenue among UK toll bridges. It belongs to the General Estates Company, which also owns Whitchurch Bridge across the River Thames. On the Bathampton side south of the river the road crosses three more bridges. The first is a modern bridge over the Batheaston/Swainswick Bypass part of the A4. The second bridge spans the Great Western Main Line railway. The third bridge passes over the Kennet and Avon Canal. The scene shows how the river and transport routes meet at this spot.