Richmond Railway Bridge

Richmond Railway Bridge spans the River Thames just above Twickenham Bridge in south-west London. It carries trains on the Waterloo to Reading Line between Richmond and St Margarets stations. The first bridge opened in 1848 and was one of the earliest railway crossings of the Thames. It was designed by Joseph Locke and J. E. Errington and built by Thomas Brassey for the London and South Western Railway. The original structure used three 100-foot cast iron girders supported on stone piers. Beside the bridge, a brick viaduct with ornamental features was built across Old Deer Park. By the early 1900s engineers worried about the cast iron’s strength, so the bridge was rebuilt between 1906 and 1908. John Wykeham Jacomb-Hood, the railway’s chief engineer, designed the new steel arches while keeping the old stone piers. The Horseley Bridge Company carried out the work. The second bridge reused many parts but replaced the iron girders with steel ribs. In 1984 the deck and girders were renewed, yet the bridge still looks much as it did in 1848. Both the bridge and its approach viaduct are Grade II listed to preserve their character. Visitors can walk the Thames path beside the bridge and see the stone piers and brick arches of the original design. The open spandrels between the arches are a distinctive feature. The brick viaduct leading to Old Deer Park carries the railway over the parkland and shows ornamental detailing added at the Crown commissioners’ request. The bridge carries regular commuter trains, but its historic fabric remains clearly visible. The setting combines the river’s gentle flow with the green expanse of Old Deer Park on one side.