List of crossings of the River Thames

London Bridge, in central London

Newbridge, in rural Oxfordshire

This is a list of crossings of the River Thames comprising over 200 bridges, 27 tunnels, six public ferries, one cable car link, and one ford. Historic achievements, explanatory notes and proposed crossings are also included.

Barrier and boundary

Until sufficient crossings were established, the river provided a formidable barrier for most of its course – in post-Roman Britain during the Dark Ages Belgic-Celtic tribal lands and Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and subdivisions were defined by which side of the river they were on. When English counties were established, it formed a boundary between the counties on either side. After rising in Gloucestershire, the river flowed between, on the north bank, the historic counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Middlesex and Essex; and on the south bank, the counties of Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey, and Kent. However the many permanent crossings that have been built over the centuries have changed the dynamics and made cross-river development and shared responsibilities more practicable. In 1911 Caversham was transferred into Berkshire. In 1965, on creating a new county of Greater London, the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames united areas formerly in Middlesex and in Surrey and at the same time two urban districts in Middlesex (united in 1974) became part of Surrey. Further changes in 1974 moved some of the boundaries away from the river. For example, much of the north west of Berkshire including Abingdon and Wantage became part of Oxfordshire and some southern parts of Buckinghamshire became Berkshire, including Slough, Eton and Wraysbury. The number of county councils has dwindled (as well as their area) in the south-east and south-centre of England in favour of increased localisation. Despite these changes, in the sports of rowing and skiffing the banks are still referred to by their traditional county names and in sports such as football and cricket historic county areas are sometimes used.

History of crossings

An engraving by Claes Van Visscher showing Old London Bridge in 1616.

Many of the present road bridges over the river are on the sites of earlier fords, ferries and wooden structures. The earliest known major crossings of the Thames by the Romans were at London Bridge and Staines Bridge. At Folly Bridge in Oxford the remains of an original Saxon structure can be seen, and mediæval stone structures such as Newbridge and Abingdon Bridge are still in use. Kingston's growth is believed to stem from its having the only crossing between London Bridge and Staines until the beginning of the 18th century. Proposals to build bridges across the Thames at Lambeth and Putney in around 1670 were defeated by the Rulers of the Company of Watermen, since it would mean ruin for the 60,000 rivermen who also provided a pool of naval reserve.

During the 18th century many stone and brick road bridges were built from new or to replace existing structures in London and further up the river. These included Westminster Bridge, Putney Bridge, Datchet Bridge, Windsor Bridge and Sonning Bridge. Several central London road bridges were built in the 19th century, most conspicuously Tower Bridge, the only bascule bridge on the river, designed to allow ocean-going ships to pass beneath it. The most recent road bridge sites are the bypasses at Isis Bridge and Marlow By-pass Bridge and the motorway bridges, most notably the two on the M25: Queen Elizabeth Bridge and M25 Runnymede Bridge.

The development of the railway resulted in a spate of bridge building in the 19th century including Blackfriars Railway Bridge and Charing Cross (Hungerford) Railway Bridge in central London, and the spectacular railway bridges by Isambard Kingdom Brunel at Maidenhead, Gatehampton and Moulsford.

The world's first underwater tunnel was the Thames Tunnel by Marc Brunel built in 1843 and used to carry the East London Line. The Tower Subway was the first railway under the Thames, which was followed by all the deep-level tube lines. Two road tunnels were built in East London at the end of the 19th century, the Blackwall Tunnel and the Rotherhithe Tunnel, and the latest tunnel is the Dartford Crossing.

Many foot crossings were established across the weirs that were built on the non-tidal river, and some of these remained when the locks were built – for example at Benson Lock. Others were replaced by a footbridge when the weir was removed as at Hart's Weir Footbridge. Around the year 2000, several footbridges were added, either as part of the Thames Path or in commemoration of the Millennium. These include Temple Footbridge, Bloomers Hole Footbridge, the Hungerford Footbridges and the Millennium Bridge, all of which have distinctive designs.

Some ferries still operate on the river. The Woolwich Ferry carries cars and passengers across the river in the Thames Gateway and links the North Circular and South Circular roads. Upstream are smaller pedestrian ferries, for example Hampton Ferry and Shepperton to Weybridge Ferry; the latter is the only non-permanent crossing that remains on the Thames Path.

Note on the listing

The list starts at the downstream (estuary) end and follows the river upstream towards the source. A few of the crossings listed are public pedestrian crossings utilising walkways across lock gates and bridges above or adjacent to the adjoining weirs. Most of the other locks on the River Thames also have walkways across their lock gates and weirs, but these either do not completely cross the river, or are restricted to authorised personnel only, and are therefore not listed. Crossings listed in italics are inaccessible to the public. Besides the ferry crossings listed, there are commuter boat services operating along the river in London, and tourist boat services operating both in London and upstream. Whilst the principal purpose of these services is not to carry people across the river, it may be possible to use them to do so.

North Sea to London

The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge

Crossing	Type	Co-ordinates	Date opened	Notes
Gravesend–Tilbury Ferry	Passenger ferry		1571 or before
High Speed 1 tunnels	Rail tunnel		2007	Two 2.5 km tunnels, 7.15 m internal diameter, between West Thurrock (Essex) and Swanscombe (Kent)
Queen Elizabeth II Bridge	Road bridge		1991	Cable-stayed bridge - the southbound element of the Dartford Crossing
Dartford Tunnels	Road tunnels		1963 and 1980	The northbound element of the Dartford Crossing
Dartford Cable Tunnel	Utility tunnel		2005	Carrying electrical cable; accessible by authorised personnel only

Proposed

A Lower Thames Crossing is proposed, at or east of the Dartford Crossing. Three options were announced in April 2009.

East London

Thames Barrier

Emirate Air Line cable car link

Thames Tunnel in the mid-19th century

Crossing	Type	Co-ordinates	Date opened	Notes
Docklands Light Railway tunnel	Rail tunnel		2009	Between King George V and Woolwich Arsenal stations
Woolwich foot tunnel	Pedestrian tunnel		1912
Woolwich Free Ferry	Vehicle ferry		1889
Thames Barrier	Flood barrier with pedestrian tunnel		1984	Service tunnel accessible by authorised personnel only
Emirates Air Line	Gondola lift		2012
Millennium Dome electricity cable tunnel	Utility tunnel		1999	Accessible by authorised personnel only
Jubilee line tunnels	Rail tunnel		1999	Between North Greenwich and Canning Town
Blackwall Tunnel (eastern)	Road tunnel		1967	For southbound vehicular traffic only
Blackwall Tunnel (western)	Road tunnel		1897	For northbound vehicular traffic only
Jubilee line tunnels	Rail tunnel		1999	Between Canary Wharf and North Greenwich
Greenwich foot tunnel	Pedestrian tunnel		1902
Docklands Light Railway tunnel	Rail tunnel		1999	Between Island Gardens and Cutty Sark
Jubilee line tunnels	Rail tunnel		1999	Between Canada Water and Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf - Rotherhithe Ferry	Passenger ferry
Rotherhithe Tunnel	Road tunnel		1908	Single carriageway in each direction, with footways on each side. Built originally for horse-drawn carriages. Pedestrians, riders, cyclists are permitted, but advised to use alternatives due to fumes and speed.
Thames Tunnel	Rail tunnel		1843	The world's first underwater tunnel, linking Wapping to Rotherhithe; now part of the London Overground network

Proposed or under construction

• A new rail tunnel is being constructed between Plumstead and North Woolwich as part of Crossrail 1.
• The Silvertown Tunnel is a proposed tunnel to relieve the Blackwall Tunnels between the Greenwich Peninsula and West Silvertown.
• The Gallions Reach Crossing is a proposed tunnel or bridge, between Beckton and Thamesmead.
• The Belvedere Crossing is a proposed tunnel or bridge, between Belvedere and Rainham.
• A pedestrian and cycle bridge between Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf has been proposed.

Central London

Tower Bridge

Westminster Bridge

Lambeth Bridge

Crossing	Type	Co-ordinates	Date opened	Notes
Tower Bridge	Road bridge		1894
Tower Subway	Utility tunnel		1870	Formerly an underground railway - now used for water mains and telephone cables and accessible only by authorised personnel
Northern line (City branch) tunnels	Rail tunnel		1900	Between London Bridge and Bank
London Bridge	Road bridge		1973	Other bridges have stood on or near this site since around AD 50
City & South London Railway tunnels	Disused rail tunnel		1890	This railway's original crossing of the river between Borough and King William Street; abandoned in 1900 when the Northern line City branch tunnels were opened on a new alignment
Cannon Street Railway Bridge	Rail bridge		1982
Southwark Bridge	Road bridge		1921
London Millennium Footbridge	Pedestrian bridge		2000
Blackfriars Railway Bridge	Rail bridge		1886
Blackfriars Bridge	Road bridge		1869
Waterloo & City line tunnels	Rail tunnel		1898	Between Waterloo and Bank
Waterloo Bridge	Road bridge		1945
Northern line (Charing Cross branch) tunnels	Rail tunnel		1926	Between Waterloo and Embankment
Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges	Rail and pedestrian bridges		1864 and 2002	Rail bridge flanked by newer pedestrian bridges
Bakerloo line tunnels	Rail tunnel		1906	Between Waterloo and Embankment
Jubilee line tunnels	Rail tunnel		1999	Between Waterloo and Westminster
Westminster Bridge	Road bridge		1862
Lambeth Bridge	Road bridge		1932
Vauxhall Bridge	Road bridge		1906
Victoria line tunnels	Rail tunnel		1971	Between Vauxhall and Pimlico
Battersea steam tunnel	Utility tunnel		20th century	Between Battersea and Pimlico is a single tunnel carrying four pipes, two 30" Thames Water mains and two 11" pipes feeding the Pimlico District Heating system, originally powered by Battersea Power Station.
Battersea exhaust tunnels	Utility tunnel		20th century	Between Battersea and either side of Victoria are two tunnels. Tunnels are labelled 'A' and 'B'; A splits further to become 'C' under Ranelagh Gardens.
Grosvenor Bridge	Rail bridge		1859	Also known as Victoria Railway Bridge

Former

• At least two Emergency Thames Bridges were erected as a precaution against enemy action during World War II. The first of these bridges was built from Victoria Embankment to County Hall, London and was constructed in 1942 before being demolished in 1948. The second such bridge was constructed at Millbank outside the Tate Britain in 1942 before also being dismantled in 1948.

Planned

• Garden Bridge, a pedestrian bridge between Waterloo and Blackfriars bridges.
• Nine Elms-Pimlico cycle and pedestrian bridge

South West London

Chelsea Bridge

Albert Bridge

Chiswick Bridge

Richmond Bridge

Crossing	Type	Co-ordinates	Date opened	Notes
Chelsea Bridge	Road bridge		1937
Albert Bridge	Road bridge		1873
Battersea Bridge	Road bridge		1890	Replaced an earlier bridge, opened in 1771
Battersea Railway Bridge	Rail bridge		1863	West London Line. Also called the Cremorne Bridge.
Wandsworth Bridge	Road bridge		1938
Fulham Railway Bridge	Rail and pedestrian bridge		1889
Putney Bridge	Road bridge		1886	Replaced an earlier bridge, known as Fulham Bridge, opened in 1729
Hammersmith Bridge	Road bridge		1887
Barnes Railway Bridge	Rail and pedestrian bridge		1849
Chiswick Bridge	Road bridge		1933
Kew Railway Bridge	Rail bridge		1869
Kew Bridge	Road bridge		1903
Richmond Lock and Footbridge	Lock with pedestrian bridge		1894
Twickenham Bridge	Road bridge		1933
Richmond Railway Bridge	Rail bridge		1848
Richmond Bridge	Road bridge		1777
Hammerton's Ferry	Passenger ferry		1909	From Marble Hill House (Twickenham) to Ham House (Ham)
Teddington Lock Footbridge	Pedestrian bridge		1889
Kingston Railway Bridge	Rail bridge		1863
Kingston Bridge	Road bridge		1828
Hampton Court Bridge	Road bridge		1933	From Hampton Court to East Molesey
Hampton Ferry	Passenger ferry		1519	From Hampton to Hurst Park, East Molesey

Planned

• Diamond Jubilee Footbridge, a pedestrian bridge adjacent to Battersea Railway Bridge, granted planning permission in 2013.

London to Windsor

Chertsey Bridge

File:Windsor Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 973452.jpg

Windsor Bridge

Crossing	Type	Co-ordinates	Date opened	Notes
Walton Bridge	Road bridge		2013
Shepperton to Weybridge Ferry	Passenger ferry		16th century
Chertsey Bridge	Road bridge		1785
M3 Chertsey Bridge	Road bridge		1971	Carrying the M3 motorway
Staines Railway Bridge	Rail bridge		1856	Built by the London and South Western Railway. Carries the Waterloo to Reading Line.
Staines Bridge	Road bridge		1832	Bridges continuously recorded near this site since 1228.
M25 Runnymede Bridge	Road bridge		1961	Carrying the M25 motorway and, on the older part of the bridge, the A30; widened in 1983 and 2005
Albert Bridge	Road bridge		1928
Victoria Bridge	Road bridge		1967	Replacing an 1851 bridge
Black Potts Railway Bridge	Rail bridge		1850
Windsor Bridge	Pedestrian and cycle bridge		1850	Formerly used as a road bridge
Windsor Railway Bridge	Rail bridge		1849
Queen Elizabeth Bridge	Road bridge		1966

Former

• The Datchet Bridge, built in 1707, was demolished in 1848.

Windsor to Reading

Maidenhead Railway Bridge

File:Reading Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 4056.jpg

Reading Bridge

Crossing	Type	Co-ordinates	Date opened	Notes
Summerleaze Footbridge	Pedestrian bridge		1992
M4 Thames Bridge	Road bridge		1961	Carrying the M4 Motorway; incorporates a footbridge
Maidenhead Railway Bridge	Rail bridge		1838	Carrying the Great Western Main Line.
Maidenhead Bridge	Road bridge		1777	Bridge recorded 1280.
Cookham Bridge	Road bridge		1867
Bourne End Railway Bridge	Rail and pedestrian bridge		1895
Marlow By-pass Bridge	Road bridge		1972
Marlow Bridge	Road bridge		1832	Replaced bridge built in 1530.
Temple Footbridge	Pedestrian bridge		1989
Hambledon Lock	Lock and pedestrian bridge		1884
Henley Bridge	Road bridge		1786	Earlier bridge dates from at least 1232.
Shiplake Railway Bridge	Rail bridge		1897
Sonning Bridge and Sonning Backwater Bridges	Road bridges		c. 1775 and 1986	Earlier bridge recorded 1530 and one in 1125
Caversham Lock	Lock and pedestrian bridge		1875
Reading Bridge	Road bridge		1923
Christchurch Bridge	Pedestrian and cycle bridge		2015
Caversham Bridge	Road bridge		1926	Earliest bridge on site recorded in 1231.

Reading to Oxford

File:UK-Wallingford Bridge.JPG

Wallingford Bridge

Shillingford Bridge

File:Follybridge.jpg

Folly Bridge, Oxford

Crossing	Type	Co-ordinates	Date opened	Notes
Reading Festival Bridge	Pedestrian bridge (intermittently present)		2008	Temporarily erected on permanent footings for the period of the annual Reading Festival; accessible to festival ticket-holders and other authorised personnel only
Whitchurch Bridge	Road bridge		1902	Toll bridge
Gatehampton Railway Bridge	Rail bridge		1838
Goring and Streatley Bridge	Road bridge		1923
Moulsford Railway Bridge	Rail bridge		1838
Winterbrook Bridge	Road bridge		1993
Wallingford Bridge	Road bridge		1809	Bridge recorded 1141.
Benson Lock bridge	Lock and pedestrian bridge
Shillingford Bridge	Road bridge		1827	Replaced bridge built 1763.
Little Wittenham Bridge	Pedestrian bridge		1870
Day's Lock bridges	Pedestrian bridges
Clifton Hampden Bridge	Road bridge		1867
Appleford Railway Bridge	Rail bridge		1929
Sutton Bridge	Road bridge		1807
Footbridges at Sutton Pools	Footbridges			Linking four islands in the river course
Culham Lock bridges	Pedestrian bridges			A bridge across the weir on the Culham Cut, west of Culham Lock; further south, other bridges cross the main river channel
Abingdon Bridge	Road bridge		1416
Abingdon Lock	Lock and pedestrian bridges
Nuneham Railway Bridge	Rail bridge		1929
Sandford Lock	Lock and pedestrian bridges
Kennington Railway Bridge	Rail bridge		1923
Isis Bridge	Road bridge		1962
Iffley Lock	Lock and pedestrian bridges
Donnington Bridge	Road bridge		1962
Folly Bridge	Road bridge		1827	Stone bridge built 1085
Grandpont Bridge	Pedestrian bridge		1930s
Gasworks Bridge	Pedestrian bridge		1882
Osney Rail Bridge	Rail bridge		1850 and 1887	Two adjacent bridges
Osney Bridge	Road bridge		1885

Oxford to Cricklade

File:View across the ford - geograph.org.uk - 1461308.jpg

The ford at Duxsford

File:Radcot Bridge.JPG

Radcot Bridge

File:St John's Bridge, Lechlade.JPG

St. John's Bridge, Lechlade

Crossing	Type	Co-ordinates	Date opened	Notes
Medley Footbridge	Pedestrian bridge		1865
Godstow Bridge	Road bridge		1792	A previous bridge was held by the Royalists in 1645.
A34 Road Bridge	Road bridge		1961
Swinford Toll Bridge	Road bridge		1777
Pinkhill Lock	Lock and pedestrian bridge
Hart's Weir Footbridge	Pedestrian bridge		1879
Newbridge	Road bridge		1250
Duxford Ford and Shifford Lock Cut footbridge	Ford and pedestrian bridge	and		The ford crosses the original river channel to an island formed on its other side by the Shifford Lock Cut, which is crossed by a footbridge. There is no footbridge across the original river channel, which must be forded by pedestrians.
Tenfoot Bridge	Pedestrian bridge		1869
Tadpole Bridge	Road bridge		1784
Rushey Lock	Lock and pedestrian bridge
Old Man's Bridge	Pedestrian bridge		1868
Radcot Bridge	Road bridge		1787
Eaton Footbridge	Pedestrian bridge		1936
Buscot Lock	Lock and pedestrian bridge
Bloomers Hole Footbridge	Pedestrian bridge		2000
St. John's Bridge	Road bridge		1886
Halfpenny Bridge	Road bridge		1792	The upstream limit of the navigable Thames
Footbridge	Pedestrian bridge
Hannington Bridge	Road bridge		1841
Castle Eaton Bridge	Road bridge		1893
Water Eaton House Bridge	Pedestrian bridge
Eysey Footbridge	Pedestrian bridge
A419 Road Bridge	Road bridge		1988
Cricklade sewage works bridge	Road bridge			Access road to sewage works, accessible to authorised personnel only
Cricklade Town Bridge	Road bridge		1852

Cricklade to the source

Not all of the bridges above Cricklade are listed below. For example, there are a number of small agricultural bridges allowing access between fields, and bridges to properties in Ashton Keynes that are not mentioned.

Crossing	Type	Co-ordinates	Notes
Footbridge	Pedestrian bridge
Midland and South Western Junction Railway bridge	Pedestrian and cycle bridge		Formerly a rail bridge
Footbridge at Hailstone House	Pedestrian bridge
Manor Farm bridge	Road bridge		North of Manor Farm, Waterhay
Brook Farm bridge	Road bridge		North of Brook Farm, Waterhay
Waterhay Bridge	Road bridge
Footbridge	Pedestrian bridge
Bridge on High Road, Ashton Keynes	Road bridge
Bridge on The Derry, Ashton Keynes	Road bridge
Bridge on Gosditch, Ashton Keynes	Road bridge
Bridge on Church Walk, Ashton Keynes	Road bridge
Bridge on Church Lane, Ashton Keynes	Road bridge
Bridge on B4696, Ashton Keynes	Road bridge
Bridges	Road bridge and pedestrian bridge
Bridge	Road bridge
Footbridge	Pedestrian bridge
Bridge	Road bridge
Bridge	Road bridge
Bridge	Road bridge
Footbridge	Pedestrian bridge
Bridge	Road bridge
Neigh Bridge	Road bridge
Bridge south of Ewen	Road bridge
Parker's Bridge, Ewen	Road bridge
A429 Road Bridge	Road bridge		Demolished bridge on the currently closed Cirencester Branch Line ran over the road. Part of the Beeching Axe legacy.
A433 Road Bridge, Fosse Way Roman Road	Road bridge		At Thames Head

The river splits as it passes through Ashton Keynes. An alternative route to that listed above crosses High Bridge at and Three Bridges at .

See also

• Islands in the River Thames
• Locks and weirs on the River Thames
• List of Bridges in London
• London River Services
• Thames Path
• Tunnels underneath the River Thames

Further reading

• Tucker, Joan (2012). Ferries of the Upper Thames. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 9781848689671