Sandwich Toll Bridge
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Sandwich Toll Bridge is a Grade II listed road swing bridge over the River Stour in Sandwich, Kent. It opened in 1755 on a site that had been a crossing for centuries, and has had several iterations; the current is a swing bridge that opened in 1892. Tolls were abolished in 1977.
The bridge has been part of the A256 road, a major route across east Kent. This became a significant traffic bottleneck, until a bypass opened in 1981.
History
[edit]Early history
[edit]
A plaque on the bridge indicates there has been a tolled crossing, originally a ferry, in this rough location since 1127.[1] The crossing forms part of a former turnpike road from Sandwich to the Isle of Thanet that has existed since the late 14th century.[2] A customs house was built at the southern edge of the crossing during Edward IV's reign.[3] The ferry route was frequently dangerous and difficult, and the Mayor of Sandwich petitioned Parliament to have a permanent bridge installed.[4]
| Sandwich Bridge Act 1755 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act for building a Bridge over the Water, or Haven, between the Town of Sandwich and the opposite Shore in the County of Kent. |
| Citation | 28 Geo. 2. c. 55 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 25 April 1755 |
The original bridge was authorised by the Sandwich Bridge Act 1755 and opened that year.[3] The total cost was £1,000, of which £600 was publicly funded with the remainder coming from the Corporation of Sandwich.[4] It was rebuilt in 1773 from Portland stone with a timber raised platform.[5][6] A table of tolls is displayed on the side of the adjacent Barbican Gate to the south.[2] A new wooden bridge was constructed in 1856, followed by a three-arch iron swing bridge in 1892, to allow river traffic to pass through.[4][5][7] The reconstruction supported stone arches at the north and south ends.[5] The bridge supports the town's coat of arms on its side.[8]
Modern history
[edit]_-_geograph.org.uk_-_650895.jpg)
The bridge formed part of the original route of the A256, a major road along the East Kent coast from Dover to Thanet. In 1962, the toll was 1 shilling (5p) for cars and 1/3 (6¼p) - 1/6 (7½p) for goods vehicles.[9] By 1965, it had become a significant bottleneck on the A256 as it could only carry a single lane of motor traffic and was the only crossing of the Stour in the local area.[10] A petition for a bypass was signed by 3,000 residents.[11] In 1973, a fund was set up to use excess monies from tolls to pay for local infrastructure.[12]
The bridge was Grade II listed in 1976.[5] Tolls were abolished the following year, with the final one being collected by the Mayor Councillor on 30 September.[2][1] A bypass of Sandwich opened in 1981, taking traffic away from the bridge, yet it continued to attract congestion as it was used as a rat run.[13]
In 2018, the bridge began to suffer reliability problems.[14] While Kent County Council were investigating repairs, on 9 June 2019, the bridge was stuck open after shipping vessel passed through. Following emergency work, it reopened on 24 June.[15] The bridge was expected to close again in February 2020 to all traffic, including pedestrians, but this was postponed.[16][17] The repairs eventually began in September 2020, closing the bridge for 11 weeks, costing the council half a million pounds. Further maintenance, installing a bespoke gearbox on the bridge, continued the following year.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Plaque on Sandwich Toll Bridge". Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- ^ a b c Heritage Strategy Appendix 1 : Historic Roads, Routes and Lanes (PDF). Dover Borough Council (Report). p. 13. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- ^ a b Hasted, Edward (1800). The town and port of Sandwich. Vol. 10 (Canterbury). pp. 152–216. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ a b c "Pictures of Sandwich Toll Bridge through the years as town prepares for reopening after 11 week closure". Kent Online. 17 November 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ a b c d Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1343735)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- ^ "Tools". Hansard. 9 December 1968. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- ^ Preston, James (2017). Kent's Transport Heritage. Amberley. p. 33. ISBN 978-1-445-66992-2.
- ^ "Smart new bridge reinstated over River Stour". Kent Online. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
- ^ "Toll Bridges and Roads". Hansard. 23 February 1962. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- ^ "Traffic Congestions (South East Kent)". Hansard. 3 December 1965. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- ^ "Sandwich Bypass". Hansard. 19 May 1965. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
- ^ "Sandwich Toll Bridge Fund". Sandwich Town Council. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ Sandwich Green Paper (PDF). Faversham Town Council (Report). June 2015. p. 4. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- ^ "Removal of Sandwich Tollbridge over River Stour could spell disaster over the summer". Kent Online. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- ^ "This is when Sandwich Tollbridge will reopen - but more work is still required". Kent News. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- ^ "Sandwich Toll Bridge (Prohibition of Driving) Temporary Order 2020". Kent County Council. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- ^ "Sandwich Toll Bridge works postponed due to A256 pipe issues". Kent Online. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ "Sandwich Toll Bridge to close for installation of bespoke gearbox part after 11 week closure in September". Kent Online. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
External links
[edit]- Toll Bridge (Sandwich) - SABRE