The bridge was originally constructed in 1804/5 to carry the road from Shrivenham to Bourton. With the construction of Avenue Road, access to Bourton was improved and this route became less important and has been a simple track and bridleway for many years. In the late 1940's the bridge had become unsafe and was culverted and then collapsed onto the culvert to take the bridleway across the canal bed.

The project to rebuild this bridge is nearing completion; it has been rebuilt from the foundations up, with a brick arch similar to the original.

Current Position

We are looking forward to re-opening the bridleway over the new bridge. The brickwork is complete except for coping stones along the tops of the walls. Recently, we have been fortunate and obtained some copings reclaimed from a demolished railway bridge; we plan to start fitting these from January 2012. The building up of the bridleway surface is also nearly complete, one area requiring some additional base material.

Last year we hosted a successful Waterway Recovery Group (WRG) working party.

All the scaffolding was removed to reveal the full structure for the first time.

Also, donated kerbstones were collected and laid to both sides of the bridleway adjacent to the parapet walls, then 40 tons of ashphalt scalpings were laid to achieve the final gradient.

Project History and Photographs of the Rebuild

Planning permission to rebuild the bridge was obtained in March 2000 and two temporary coffer dams, one either side of the bridge site, were constructed. The western dam to act as a temporary diversion for the bridleway.

Preparations began on 17 February 2001 with the moving of a storage container to the site to house plant and materials. Work then had to stop during the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak of that year. It recommenced the following winter.

The required bridleway diversion was completed in April 2002; we cleared the new temporary route and made it safe with fencing and surfacing. Preliminary excavation of the side walls of the original bridge started in May 2002 but full excavation of the site only started at end July 2002 with official approval of the diversionary route and the closure of the original bridleway.

Click here for pictures of the construction of the bridleway diversion.

It took until May 2003 to excavate the entire site and first impressions were that the foundations were reusable.
Click here for pictures of the excavations.

At the end of May 2003, Oxford County Council sent us copies of drawings they made in 1947, showing the original design just before the bridge was demolished.

It took 3 years to fully establish the condition of the remaining foundations, prepare construction plans for the new bridge, get approval from the County Council and raise funding for the purchase of materials. Initially, it was planned that contract bricklayers would be used but volunteers throughout the Trust were eager to be involved as were volunteers from the Waterway Recovery Group (WRG).

Ten large, curved, steel formers, 10,000 facing, 3000 engineering bricks plus quantities of cement, lime and sand were obtained and moved to the site.
The rebuilding of the bridge finally commenced, in earnest, in August 2006 and has continued as labour, funds and weather have permitted. The bridge has been rebuilt with 100% volunteer labour.

Click here for a pictorial history of the rebuild.

We must thank many organisations for their financial support for the purchase of materials including The National Lottery - Awards for All, The Inland Waterways Association, The Vale of White Horse District Council, Shrivenham Parish Council and Shrivenham Institute Charity. Our thanks also must go to the Waterway Recovery Group for their labour on numerous Canal Camps.

Access to view work in progress is easy - there are good views from the bridleway diversion and the nearby permissive footpath. The bridge can be found at grid reference SU235880.

Please stay on the rights of way (as diverted) and do not trespass on surrounding land. The site is dangerous with unstable ground, deep water and excavations - for your own safety; please keep out of the work-site.