Hampton Court Bridge

Hampton Court Bridge is a Grade II listed crossing of the River Thames between Hampton in London and East Molesey in Surrey. It carries the A309 and marks the northernmost road bridge on the tidal Thames above Teddington Lock. The Thames Path passes over it, linking Hampton Court Palace grounds to the south bank. Ferry services have operated here since at least the Tudor period. The first bridge, built in 1753, had seven wooden arches in a Chinoiserie style. The present structure is the fourth bridge on the site and was opened in 1933 by the Prince of Wales. Designed by W. P. Robinson and Sir Edwin Lutyens, it echoes the architecture of Hampton Court Palace’s Wren-designed sections. The bridge has three wide reinforced-concrete arches clad in red brick and white Portland stone. It replaced an earlier iron lattice bridge criticised in the early 20th century as “one of the ugliest in England.” On the north bank stand Hampton Court Palace and its gardens, Hampton Court Park and Bushy Park. The south bank features a row of restaurants, boutiques and apartments near Hampton Court station. Molesey Lock lies a short distance downstream, while the River Mole meets the Thames just west of the bridge. The A309 begins at the roundabout by the palace gates and runs south towards the A3(M), while the A3050 leads to Walton-on-Thames and Weybridge.