Putney Bridge

Putney Bridge spans the River Thames in west London, joining Putney on the south bank with Fulham to the north. Before the first bridge stood here in 1729, a ferry carried passengers between the two parishes. The present structure carries three southbound lanes, including a bus lane, and one northbound lane with a cycle lane and bus stop. Putney High Street, a busy shopping and business street, meets the bridge on the south side. Putney Embankment beside the bridge holds Putney Pier for riverboat services and the largest set of rowing facilities in the capital. The bridge has a notable history tied to national events and famous figures. During the Civil War in 1642, Parliamentary forces built a temporary bridge of boats here after the Battle of Brentham. Sir Robert Walpole, later Britain’s first Prime Minister, was delayed by ferrymen drinking in a local inn, which prompted him to support building a permanent bridge. The first timber bridge opened in 1729 and was the only Thames crossing between London Bridge and Kingston Bridge at the time. It was a toll bridge until tolls ended in 1880 when the current stone bridge was completed. The stone bridge designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette opened in 1886 and is 210 metres long and 13 metres wide. Its five stone arches rest on foundations that also carry two of Bazalgette’s outfall sewers. Lamp posts at the bridge’s bases display a heraldic composition of seven coats of arms, including the royal arms of Queen Victoria. The downstream end of the Championship Course for rowing marks the start of races like the Wingfield Sculls and Head of the River Races. Two medieval churches, St Mary’s on the Putney side and All Saints on the Fulham side, stand close to the bridge’s abutments, a rare pairing along the Thames.