1961: Bridge built for A30
1978: Bronze Age Site found.
A Late Bronze Age waterfront site with exceptional preservation of deposits buried under the
flood silts of the Thames - The foundations of a Late Bronze Age enclosure stockade set
in the edge of the contemporary river channel
The ancient river bank had been revetted with a
double row of vertical pile-driven timbers set a short
distance into the channel.
...
Many of the river channel silts yielded occupation refuse which
belongs consistently to the Late Bronze Age and is
comparable with that on the river bank.
...
The waterfront structure is envisaged more as a wharf
than a purely defensive work ...
A minimal reconstruction might see the piles
extending upwards to support a series of horizontal timbers
level with the crest of the river bank, and perhaps tied in to
post-set timbers there.
For a functioning wharf capable of
accommodating river craft, the contemporary river level
would have been fairly critical ...
A cusping plan evident for the waterfront would have provided a framework for division in terms
of function or moorings allocations, even if this form
originated in the attainment of greater structural rigidity.
An inclined layer of brushwood on the riverbed overlain by
a few branches was enclosed by one ‘bay’ and is tentatively
interpreted as a beaching ramp, or hard, usable in times of
low water.
Outlying posts recovered further into
the river channel could have been mooring posts or
supports for narrow walkways or for fences.
1983: Second bridge added for M25
The design of the new bridge to carry M25 across the River Thames alongside the crossing
designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens at Runnymede presented particular aesthetic and engineering
problems. This crossing was built in 1961 as part of A30 Staines Bypass and the original
bridge is a low and wide arch bridge with brick spandrels.
For M25, it was decided at an early stage, that merely to provide an even wider replica
alongside would have been wrong visually as well as being difficult and
expensive to construct.
The solution chosen appears as an open spandrel arch of the same basic shape,
but the construction is in fact a series of parallel concrete frames, each one made up of
two trapezoidal portal rings which ensure that loads are transferred vertically to the ground
to avoid disturbing the foundations of the older bridge. The open spandrels allow light to
penetrate and thus avoid an undesirable tunnel effect.
The design, by Ove Arup and Partners, has been much praised for producing a pleasing new
bridge which preserves and enhances the integrity of the original.
Runnymede (M25) Bridge, Doug Myers © 2005
Map: Colne Brook
Left bank
Map: Site of Wraysbury Ferry
Ferry Lane on left bank above Colne Brook below Bell Weir Lock
1890: Wraysbury Ferry, Francis Frith -
Wraysbury Ferry, Francis Frith
Map: Runnymede Hotel
Right bank above Runnymede Bridge
Upstream to BELL WEIR LOCK
Estuary
PLA
QEII Br
Barrier
Tower Br
Custom Ho
London Br
; Frost Fairs
Cannon St Rb
The Great Stink
Southwark Br
Millenium Br
Blackfriars Rb
Blackfriars Br
Waterloo Br
Charing Cross Rb
Westminster Br
Lambeth Br
Vauxhall Br
Victoria Rb
Chelsea Br
Albert Br
Battersea Br
Battersea Rb
Wandsworth Br
Fulham Rb
Putney Br
Hammersmith Br
Barnes Rb
Chiswick Br
Kew Rb
Kew Br
RICHMOND
Twickenham Br
Richmond Rb
Richmond Br
TEDDINGTON
Kingston Rb
Kingston Br
Ditton Slip
Hampton Br
MOLESEY
SUNBURY
Walton Br
Desborough Cut
SHEPPERTON
Chertsey Br
CHERTSEY
M3 Br
Laleham Slip
PENTON HOOK
Staines Rb
Staines Br
Runnymede Br
BELL WEIR
Magna Carta Is
OLD WINDSOR
Albert Br
Datchet
Victoria Br
Black Potts Rb
ROMNEY
Eton
Windsor Br
Windsor Rb
Windsor Slip
Elizabeth Br
BOVENEY
Dorney Lake
York Cut
Summerleaze Fb
MonkeyIsland
New Thames Br
BRAY
Bray Slip
Maidenhead Rb
Maidenhead Br
Below Boulters
BOULTERS
Cliveden
Hedsor
COOKHAM
Cookham Slip
Cookham Br
BourneEnd RFb
Quarry Woods
A404 Br
MARLOW
Marlow Br
Bisham
TEMPLE
HURLEY
Medmenham
Culham Ct
Aston Slip
HAMBLEDEN
Temple Is
Fawley Ct
Remenham
Regatta
Phyllis Ct
Henley Slip
Leander
Red Lion
Henley Br
Angel on Br
Landing
Hobbs Boatyard
Hobbs Slipway
MARSH
Hennerton
Bolney
Wargrave
Shiplake Rb
R.Loddon
SHIPLAKE
Sonning Br
SONNING
Dreadnought
K&A Canal
CAVERSHAM
Reading Br
Caversham Br
Reading Slip
Purley
MAPLEDURHAM
Hardwick Ho
Whitchurch Br
WHITCHURCH
Hartswood Reach
Gatehampton Rb
Goring Gap
Goring Br
GORING
Swan
CLEEVE
Moulsford
Moulsford Rb
Papist Way Slip
Winterbrook Br
Wallingford Br
BENSON
Shillingford Br
R.Thame
DAYS
Burcot
Clifton Hampden
Clifton Church
Clifton H Br
Barley Mow
Long Wittenham
CLIFTON
Appleford Rb
Sutton Courtenay
Sutton Br
CULHAM
Culham Cut Fb
Abingdon Slip
Abingdon
Abingdon Br
ABINGDON
Nuneham Rb
Nuneham
Nuneham Park
Radley Boats
SANDFORD
Rose Island
Kennington Rb
Isis Br
Iffley Mill
IFFLEY
Oxford Rowing
Isis
Donnington Br
Riverside Slip
Boathouses
Punting
Lower Cherwell
Upper Cherwell
Islip
Head of River
Salters Steamers
Folly Br
Bacons Folly
Oxford Fb
Osney Fb
Weir stream
Osney Rb
Bullstake Stream
Osney Marina
OSNEY
Osney Br
Four Rivers
OLD RIVER
CANAL
Medley Weir Site
Medley Fb
Bossoms
Perch
Trout
GODSTOW
Godstow Nunnery
Godstow Br
Thames Br
KINGS
River Evenlode
EYNSHAM
Swinford Br
Oxford Cruisers
PINKHILL
Farmoor
Stanton Harcourt
Bablock Slip
Arks Weir Site
NORTHMOOR
Harts Fb
//Rose Revived
Newbridge
//Maybush
River Windrush
below Shifford
SHIFFORD
Shifford Fb
Tenfoot Fb
Trout Inn
Tadpole Br
RUSHEY
Old Mans Fb
RADCOT
Radcot Cradle Fb
Swan Inn
Radcot New Br
Radcot Old Br
GRAFTON
Eaton Hastings
Kelmscott
Eaton Fb
BUSCOT
Bloomers Hole Fb
Trout Inn
St Johns Br
ST JOHNS
Halfpenny Br
Marina Slip
LIMIT
Inglesham
Hannington Br
Kempsford
Castle Eaton Br
Marston Meysey
A419 Br
Cricklade
SOURCE?
THAMES HEAD
SEVEN SPRINGS