Donnington Bridge - Site of Free Ferry

Somewhere around here was the ford, sometimes named "Stanford", ("Stone ford"), on the Port Way, the Roman road which ran South west to North east. This was one of the fords which gave Oxford its name (though my money is on a Roman ford near Folly Bridge) See the map of Anglo-Saxon Oxford on the Folly Bridge page
1954: Bridge first proposed in place of the ferry
1962: Opened by Viscount Hailsham.
Lord Hailsham's connections with Oxford include his having been (as Quintin Hogg) an undergraduate at Christ Church, a Fellow of All Souls (1931-38) and Member of Parliament for Oxford City (1938-50). His public life culminated in his being Lord Chancellor under the Heath administration (1970-74) and under the first two Thatcher administrations (1979-87)
There is an inscription on the bridge:

City of Oxford
DONNINGTON BRIDGE
opened by the Rt. Hon. Viscount Hailsham PC QC
on 22nd October 1962.
Chairman of the Highways Committee: Alderman Kinchin 1957-1962
City Engineer &Surveyor: J.Campbell Riddell B.Sc, M.I.C.E, M.I.Mun.E
Consulting Engineers: R.Travers Morgan & Partners
Civil Engineering Contractors: The Cementation Company Ltd

I have always known the bridge as "Donnington Road Bridge" however the above plaque certainly refers to "Donnington Bridge" and I notice on the map that the road is referred to as "Donnington Bridge Road" - so logically one would land up with "Donnington Bridge Road Bridge" which is not desirable! So "Donnington Bridge" it is.

The weir pool by the bridge to the west is accessible by small boat from below Iffley Lock turning just before Kennington Railway Bridge

1963: Donnington Bridge, Thomas Photos -

Donnington Bridge, Thomas Photos, 1963
Donnington Bridge, Thomas Photos, 1963
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive;

2005: Picture, Doug Myers -

Donnington Road Bridge, Doug Myers © 2005
Donnington Bridge, Doug Myers © 2005

[ Donnington Bridge shows university graffitti at its greatest development - and it may even, in parts, be suitable for adult viewing. It does vary from year to year -
2004 is a bad year. The most humorous statement is
"My Mum rows for Linacre" My apologies of course if this is true.
2005 is worse, can students have grown up?
In my day we students understood we had a duty to society at large to represent immaturity in all its naffness. Sadly modern students appear to be disappointingly mature and normal. ]