Twickenham Bridge

Twickenham Bridge spans the River Thames in southwest London, linking Richmond on the south bank with St Margarets on the north. Completed in 1933 as part of the new Chertsey Arterial Road, it carries today’s A316 towards the M3 motorway. The bridge was designed by architect Maxwell Ayrton and engineer Alfred Dryland, who chose three reinforced-concrete arches with Art Deco detailing instead of the originally planned four towers. Its three hinges allow the structure to shift with temperature changes, a British first for a concrete bridge. Bronze plates mask the arch springings and crowns, while the piers show ribbed shuttering knocked back for texture. The Bromsgrove Guild cast the bronze lamps, parapets and the four riverside staircases. The bridge opened on 3 July 1933 when Edward, Prince of Wales performed the ceremony alongside two other new Thames crossings. In 1992 it became home to the UK’s first Gatso speed camera. Listed at Grade II* in 2008, it is protected from changes that would spoil its character. The A316 route carries traffic between central and west London and the M3 at Sunbury-on-Thames, passing through Richmond and Twickenham upstream. Visitors walk the broad pavement above the river and admire the clean lines of the three arches. Bronze lamp standards punctuate the balustrades, and the staircases descend to towpaths on both banks. The ribbed concrete piers stand in the water, their texture catching the light. On the north bank St Margarets sits just beyond the bridge’s end, while Richmond’s Old Deer Park lies to the south. The view upstream shows Richmond Bridge a short distance away, and Twickenham town centre lies a few kilometres further along the river.