List of crossings of the River Thames facts for kids

London Bridge, a famous crossing in central London

Newbridge, a historic crossing in rural Oxfordshire

The River Thames is a very important river in the United Kingdom. It's the second-longest river in the country and flows right through the capital city. Many bridges, tunnels, and even ferries help people cross it every day!

Imagine this: the Thames has over 300 crossings if you count all its smaller channels and islands. But if you only look at the main river flow, there are 138 bridges that go over it from one side to the other. This article will tell you all about these amazing crossings, from the busy city to the quiet countryside.

The Thames: A Natural Barrier and How We Crossed It

For a long time, the River Thames was like a giant wall, making it hard for people to travel from one side to the other. In ancient times, different groups of people and kingdoms used the river as a natural border. For example, in Anglo-Saxon England, the river often marked the edge of different counties.

Over hundreds of years, as more and more bridges were built, it became much easier for people to cross the river. This helped towns and communities on both sides grow closer and share responsibilities. Even though some county borders have changed over time, in sports like rowing and cricket, people still often refer to the river banks by their old county names.

A Journey Through Time: How Crossings Developed

Long ago, the first ways to cross the Thames were fords. These were shallow spots where people could walk or ride horses across the river, usually over gravel beds. Famous fords were found at places like Wallingford and Oxford. It's even thought that the Romans built the first London Bridge on the site of a very old ford! As the river became deeper in some areas due to dams and embankments, most fords disappeared. Today, only a few remain, like the one at Duxford.

Many of the road bridges you see today are built where old fords, ferries, or wooden bridges used to be. The Romans built some of the earliest major bridges at London and Staines. You can still see parts of a very old Saxon bridge at Folly Bridge in Oxford. Medieval stone bridges, like Wallingford, Newbridge, and Abingdon Bridges, are still in use today! For a long time, Kingston Bridge was the only way to cross the river between London Bridge and Staines.

In the 1600s, there were ideas to build more bridges in London, but the people who ran the ferry services didn't like this. They worried it would take away their jobs, as thousands of rivermen made a living by ferrying people across.

However, in the 1700s, many new stone and brick bridges were built, both in London and further upstream. These included Westminster, Putney, Windsor, and Sonning Bridges. The 1800s saw even more bridges, especially in central London. The most famous is Tower Bridge, which is a special type of bridge called a bascule bridge. This means it can open up in the middle to let large ships pass underneath! More recently, new road bridges have been built for bypasses and motorways, like the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge and the M25 Runnymede Bridge for the M25 motorway.

The invention of trains in the 1800s led to a boom in railway bridge building. Examples include Blackfriars and Charing Cross (Hungerford) Railway Bridge in London. The famous engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel designed three grand railway bridges at Maidenhead, Gatehampton, and Moulsford.

The world's first underwater tunnel was the Thames Tunnel, built in 1843 by Marc Brunel. It was meant for horse-drawn carriages but was first used by people walking through it. Since 1869, trains have used it as part of the East London Line. Later, the Tower Subway (1870) was built, and then many deep tube lines followed. Two road tunnels, the Blackwall Tunnel and the Rotherhithe Tunnel, were built in East London in the late 1800s. The newest road tunnel is the Silvertown Tunnel.

Many footbridges were also built, especially near the weirs (small dams) on the river. Some of these remained when locks (water gates for boats) were built. Around the year 2000, several new footbridges were added, often as part of the Thames Path walking route or for the Millennium celebrations. These include the Millennium Bridge, known for its unique design.

Six public ferries still cross the river today:

• The Woolwich Ferry and the Gravesend–Tilbury Ferry (for pedestrians only) are in the eastern part of the Thames.
• Closer to central London, the Hammertons Ferry connects popular tourist spots like Ham House and Marble Hill House in Twickenham.
• Further west, the Hampton Ferry, the Sunbury Ferry, and the Shepperton to Weybridge Ferry are all for pedestrians.

Crossings from the North Sea to London

This section lists crossings starting from the mouth of the Thames and moving upstream towards London.

Future Crossings Near the North Sea

• The Grain to Tilbury cable tunnel is a new utility tunnel planned by National Grid to replace an older one.
• The Lower Thames Crossing is a new road tunnel that might open in 2028.
• A proposed tunnel called [[Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1782: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).]] [Wikidata] could carry trams between Kent and Essex.

East London Crossings

Here are the crossings found in East London.

Future Crossings in East London

• The Belvedere Crossing, a bridge planned between Belvedere and Rainham.
• The Gallions Reach Crossing has been suggested as a ferry, bridge, or tunnel between Beckton and Thamesmead.
• An extension of the Docklands Light Railway across the river to Thamesmead is also planned.
• The Rotherhithe crossing, a pedestrian and cycle crossing between Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf, was first planned as a bridge, but now a ferry service is being considered instead.

Central London Crossings

These are the famous crossings in the heart of London.

Former Crossings in Central London

• During World War II, two temporary bridges were built in London to help people cross in case other bridges were destroyed. They were taken down after the war.

Planned Crossings in Central London

• A new pedestrian and cycle bridge is planned between Nine Elms and Pimlico.

South West London Crossings

Moving further west, here are the crossings in South West London.

Planned Crossings in South West London

• The Diamond Jubilee Footbridge, a pedestrian bridge next to Battersea Railway Bridge, was approved in 2013.

London to Windsor Crossings

Here are the crossings as the Thames flows from London towards Windsor.

Former Crossings from London to Windsor

• The Datchet Bridge, built in 1707, was taken down in 1848. The Albert and Victoria bridges replaced it.

Windsor to Reading Crossings

Next, we look at the crossings between Windsor and Reading.

Former Crossings from Windsor to Reading

• A footbridge was built in 2012 for the London Olympics, allowing spectators to reach Dorney Lake. It was removed after the Olympics.

Reading to Oxford Crossings

Here are the crossings as the Thames continues its journey from Reading to Oxford.

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Planned Crossings in Reading to Oxford

• Oxpens River Bridge (in Oxford) is a footbridge planned to be finished in 2025.

Oxford to Cricklade Crossings

Now we move even further upstream, from Oxford to Cricklade.

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Cricklade to the Source Crossings

This section lists some of the bridges above Cricklade, closer to where the Thames begins. There are many other small bridges for farms or properties in places like Ashton Keynes that are not listed here.

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The river splits into different paths as it goes through Ashton Keynes. Another way to cross is by High Bridge and Three Bridges.

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