Maps
Culham Reach
Map:The Swift Ditch
Map: Abingdon Marina Slipway
The Marina Virtual Earth View is rather out of date!
1886: Julia Isham Taylor, Down the Thames -
The banks of the river are low for some distance below Abingdon and the characters of the views remains the same, very slight hills, clumps of vigorous trees or single ones at irregular distances, alone break the sky line. It is this gentle flatness without hardness or a depressing effect which is so typical of many of the English counties. In France and Germany the lines of the landscape are clearer and harder – the trees more stiff.
Culham Reach is the long straight below Abingdon.
The Swift Ditch (old channel, not navigable) outflows into the Thames
at the top of Culham Reach. You can see the Swift Ditch (and the old Culham Bridge)
in the top left of the aerial photo:
Culham Reach, the Swift Ditch, and Abingdon Marina
Swift Ditch Outflow.
This is the downstream end of what was the main navigation
stream. Notice the 1820 quotation
for Abingdon Bridge in which what
is now the main stream was referred to as “the new cut”.
(New, that is, in the ninth century!)
Culham Bridge over the end of the Swift Ditch is just above the outflow.
It was possibly at one time the most important bridge at Abingdon.
A civil war skirmish was fought on this old Culham Bridge.
The Royalists unsuccessfully tried to attack the Roundheads in Abingdon.
1645 -
Colonel Sir Henry Gage was mortally wounded attempting to destroy Culham Bridge and establish a fort against Abingdon; he is replaced as Governor of Oxford by William Legge.
1929: A Thames Survey -
Culham Bridges. The old bridge was built in 1416 by the Guild of the Brotherhood of Christ,
who erected Abingdon Bridge: it is of stone with medieval arches, 23 feet wide between parapets,
including one side-walk 3 feet 3 inches wide.
Owing to its age and condition it is now only open to pedestrians and all other traffic has been diverted to
the New Bridge, built 1927-8, which is of stone, well designed, having one large elliptical arch
spanning the stream and two side semi-circular arches. The roadway and new approaches are of generous width
with two side-walks. Headway above normal water-level, 15 feet 6 inches.
Tolls are payable at the toll-house on the Berkshire side.
Abingdon Marina Slipway. Right Bank, north east of the marina entrance. Tel: 01235 536147
Abingdon Marina Slipway
The slipway is well constructed, except
that it is said not to protrude enough under water so that heavy boats on large
trailers may drop their wheels over the edge.
There should be no problem for smaller trailed boats. You may need a
street map to find it by road.
The new marina is downstream of Abingdon
itself. It is, one suspects,
primarily a housing development beside a gravel pit - but it does have a useful
slipway and splendid moorings for residents (and a few more houses now than
shown above).
The Abbey Sailing Club
(Upstream to Abingdon)
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