Berkshire History for Kids: Caversham Bridge

Where Berkshire meets Oxfordshire

In Saxon & Norman times, there was only a ferry across the River Thames between Reading and Caversham.
When William Marshal ran England for the young Henry III, he lived at Caversham Castle. The King had to cross the river by ferry to see him.
In the 1220s, when he was older, King Henry paid for a bridge to be built instead.
The bridge had a chapel dedicated to St. Anne standing on an island in the middle of the River. Travellers stopped there to pray for a safe journey. Pilgrims also came to visit the relics that it had.
The bridge had a wooden drawbridge at the Reading end. This could be raised to control the traffic in times of trouble, or at night.
The chapel was closed by Dr. John London in 1538. It became a house.
During the Civil War, King Charles I & his army lost the Battle of Caversham Bridge while trying to help their friends being besieged in Reading. It was too late anyway, as Reading had already surrendered.
In the early 19th century, the bridge was in such a bad state that people kept falling off where there was no parapet!
The medieval stone and brick bridge was replaced by an iron bridge in 1868.
The present concrete bridge was built in 1926.