Maps
Hilaire Belloc -
The antiquity of the crossing of the Thames at Cookham is supported by a certain amount of pre-historic evidence, worth about as much as such evidence ever is, and about as little. Two Neolithic flint knives have been found there, a bronze dagger sheath and spear-head, a bronze sword, and a whole collection or store of other bronze spear-heads. Such as it is, it is a considerable collection for one spot. Cookham has not only these pre-historic remains; it has also fragments of British pottery found in the relics of pile dwellings near the river, and two Roman vases from the bed of the stream; it has further furnished Anglo-Saxon remains, and, indeed, there are very few points upon the river where so regular a continuity of the historic and the pre-historic is to be discovered as in the neighbourhood of this old ford.
David Nash Ford:-
The Camlet Way ran from St. Albans to Silchester and appears to have crossed the Thames at Sashes Island in Cookham. Wooden piles and stakes found here in the nineteenth century (and again in 1969) may indicate the remains of a substantial bridge. There was probably an adjoining river port named “Cwch-ium” - Celtic for Boat-Place (the alternative Saxon Cook's Home seems somewhat obscure).
Sashes Island is what is now effectively Cookham lock island, and was called Odney Island
1834 Cookham before the bridge
I can find no mention of a
bridge before 1839 except this entry in a policeman’s diary:
1821: In the diary of W Gibbins, Constable 1795-1840 -
Dec 21. A very high Flood and Cookham Bridge was Drove a way and a Great Deal of Damage Don.
[ I now think this is an example of the use of the word 'bridge' to mean any river crossing - not necessarily involving a fixed structure.
In other words what was 'drove away' was a ferry boat! See Lambeth Bridge for a similar use. ]
1839: Work started by Freebody on building a wooden
bridge. The figures given were:
£1918 Estimate for a bridge in fir
£1968 Estimate for a bridge in Fir and Quebec Oak
£2931 Estimate for a bridge in English Oak
Actual cost:
£2565 Buying out the ferry
£1485 Legal costs and sundries
£8274 Final Total.
1840: Jan 1. Constable Gibbins -
Cookham Bridge opened for Travack.
1859: It seemed doubtful if the timber bridge would survive the winter.
1865: I am not sure when the first bridge met its end. Six years later it looked like this -
I think it is only half a bridge - and the vehicle ferry is in use in place of it –
The first Cookham Bridge (1840 - 1865?) seen in 1865.
1867: The current wrought-iron bridge, resting on
cylindrical iron piers, was built at a cost considerably less than the wooden
bridge it replaced.
1870: John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales -
COOKHAM, a village, a parish, a sub-district, a district, and a hundred in Berks.
The village stands on the river Thames, adjacent to the Maidenhead and Wycombe railway,
3 miles N of Maidenhead; has a post office under Maidenhead, a station on the railway,
an inn much resorted to by anglers, a wooden bridge across the Thames, a parish church,
an endowed school, and an alms-house;
was the meeting-place, between 996 and 1,001, of a gemot, attended by many thanes from Wessex and Mercia;
was once a market-town, and still has fairs on 16 May and 11 Oct.
The church is early English, with western tower of flint; was restored in 1860;
and contains several good brasses, a canopied altar-tomb of 1517,
and a fine marble monument by Flaxman to Sir Isaac Bocock.
The parish contains also Cookham-Dean village and part of Maidenhead borough.
Acres, 6, 509. Real property, £25, 374. Pop., 4, 468. Houses, 832.
The property is much subdivided.
A skirmish was fought, in the civil wars, at Battle-Mead.
A number of Roman swords and javelin-heads was found, in 1830, at Sashes.
The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Oxford. Value, £480.* Patron, J. Rogers, Esq.
The chapelries of Cookham-Dean and Maidenhead are separate benefices.
There is a Wesleyan chapel.
The sub-district contains the parishes of Cookham, Bisham, and Hurley.
Acres, 13, 126. Pop., 6, 317. Houses, 1, 202.
The district comprehends also the sub-district of Bray,
containing the parishes of Bray, Shottesbrook, Waltham-St. Lawrence, and White-Waltham.
Acres, 29, 588. Poor-rates in 1862, £6, 319. Pop. in 1841, 11, 058; in 1861, 13, 031.
Houses, 2, 522. Marriages in 1860, 82; births, 396, - of which 19 were illegitimate;
deaths, 219,-of which 61 were at ages under 5 years, and 9 at ages above 85.
Marriages in the ten years 1851-60, 797; births, 3, 961; deaths, 2, 259.
The places of worship in 1851 were 12 of the Church of England, with 5, 995 sittings;
5 of Independents, with 809 s.; 1 of Quakers, with 120 s.; 6 of Wesleyan Methodists, with 761 s.;
5 of Primitive Methodists, with 306 s.; 2 of Lady Huntingdon's Connexion, with 400 s.;
and 1 undefined, with 16 attendants.
The schools were 15 public day schools, with 1, 324 scholars; 26 private day schools, with 443 s.;
and 24 Sunday schools, with 2, 322 s.
The hundred contains only four parishes. Acres, 9, 716. Pop., 3, 809. Houses, 735.
1872: Modern Examples of Road and Railway Bridges: illustrating the most recent practice of leading engineers in Europe and America. William H. Maw and James Dredge –
The Bridge over the Thames, at Cookham, is remarkable, not for its size, nor for difficulties attending its erection, but for the cheapness with which it was constructed. When the Cookham Bridge Company decided on the construction of the new bridge, the directors advertised for designs, and in return thirty seven plans and estimates were sent in, these estimates varying from £1,900 to £27,000.
In Brunel’s papers is this sketch for Cookham Bridge (but I don't know the date):
Brunel's rejected design for Cookham Bridge
It would have been a more elegant bridge, but no doubt more expensive.
The tender accepted was that
of Messrs. Pease, Hutchinson, and Co., of the Skerne Ironworks, Darlington, and
32, Coleman-street, London, whose estimate was
£2,520; and
premiums were awarded for the two next best designs, those of Messrs. Peto and
Co. and Mr John Pinchbeck, of London.
The bridge, of which we give
a perspective view is 335 ft. long over all, while its
length between abutments is 300 ft. The
clear width of the roadway is 20 ft., and the height of the bridge at the
centre from the bed of the river to the top of the handrail, is 30 ft.
The bridge has a rise towards the centre of 2
ft. 6 in. The superstructure consists of
a wrought iron continuous girder supported at intervals of 40 ft. upon piers
formed of iron piles. The main girders
are 3 ft. 6 in. deep, with webs 5/16 in. thick, and
top and bottom flanges 12 in. by 5/8 in.
The flanges of each girder are joined to the web by pairs of 3 in. by 3
in. by ½ in. angle irons. The girders
are firmly bolted to the three centre piers, and rest on the remainder on
expansion rollers. They also rest on
expansion rollers at the two abutments.
Ornamental cast-iron brackets are introduced at the angles formed by the
piers and girders, as represented in Fig. 2 -
The transverse girders, which are
placed 6 ft. 8 in. apart from centre to centre, are of wrought iron, 14 in.
deep, with ¼ in. webs, and top and bottom flanges, each formed of a pair of 3½
in. by 3½ in. angle irons.
The platform is of Memel planking, 3 in. thick,
carried by short longitudinal beams, 11 in. deep by 5½ in. thick, the ends of
which are inserted between the flanges of the transverse girders. The platform was covered with a thick coat of
asphalte before the metalling was put on.
The abutments are of red brick, with ashlar caps and string course.
Their face walls are 3 ft., and the wing
walls 2 ft., thick at the top, with a batter of 1 in 8.
The piers are each composed of two screw
piles, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In
order to guard against the action of ice, &c., the lower portion of each
pile, up to about 5 ft. above the water level, is made of wrought iron plate ½
in. thick. This lower portion of each
pile is 1 ft. 8 in. in diameter outside, and it is filled in with
concrete. The upper portion of each
pile, which is of cast iron, is 10½ in. in diameter and ¾ in. thick.
The transverse girders connecting the piles
are 12 in. deep, and the cross bracing of the lower portions of the piles
consists of 4 in. by ½ in. angle irons, and that of the upper portions of flat
bars 4 in. by ¾ in. The piles are
screwed down into the bed of the river to depths of from 6 ft. to 10 ft.
The contract price for the bridge was, as we have already stated, £2,520, a
remarkably low one for the work done, and only explicable from the fact of the
contractors being large iron manufacturers as well as extensive bridge
builders. There were no extras charged
and the amount above mentioned included the iron, brick, stone, and timber
work, the excavation, labour, erection, carriage, &c.;
in fact, the cost of the whole bridge,
complete as it now stands, in addition to the removal of the old structure,
which it replaced. The work was quickly
and successfully carried out under the superintendence of Mr. W. G. Fossick,
Mr. William Atkinson, C.E., of Westminster,
acting as the representative of the Cookham Bridge Company.
1875: Cookham Bridge, Henry Taunt -
Cookham Bridge, Henry Taunt, 1875
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; HT02078
1883: QUERY!
Henry Taunt, described as “Cookham Bridge 1883” but I think there must be a
mistake?
1885: Lippincott's Magazine, Cookham Dean by Margaret Bertha Wright -
One or two real Venetian gondolas are kept at that river-reach where we spent our summer.
The owner of the principal one is an English nobleman who lived long in Italy
and whose twelve daughters were born there.
It is a sight to see those twelve beautiful sisters, from six years of age to twenty-four,
poled down the river to church every Sunday morning by a swarthy and veritable Venetian gondolier.
Whether or not that hearse-like craft has sacred associations in the minds of the twelve maidens all in a row,
or whether its grimness and want of swiftness seem out of place amid the carnival brilliancy of Sunday afternoon,
it is certain that it is never used except for church-going,
and the maidens appear later in the day each in her own swift little canoe,
or two or three sisters together in a larger one, darting to and fro, hither and yon,
with almost incredible swiftness, almost more like winged thoughts than like even swallows on the wing.
The gabled and ivy-wreathed Elizabethan manor-house which is the summer home of the maidens
stands but a few rods from the river's bank.
Here, amidst decorous shrubbery, upon smooth shaven and rolled turf, where marble vases overflow with gorgeous flowers,
sit Pater and Mater among their dozens of guests.
Some of the gentlemen are in correct morning dress, some in boating-costumes,
and some in that last stage of unclothedness or first of clothedness which is the English bathing-dress.
In their striped tights on land these last look exactly like saw-dust and rope ring clowns,
but when they dive into the water from that well-bred lawn and dart in wild pursuit of the maidens,
who beat them off with oars from climbing into the canoes, amid shouts of aquatic and terrestrial laughter,
one would almost swear they were neither the clowns they looked a moment ago,
nor yet the English gentlemen they really are, but fantastic mermen bent upon carrying earth-brides
back with them into their cool native depths beneath the bright water.
1890: Cookham Bridge and Church, Francis Frith -
1890: Cookham Bridge and Church, Francis Frith
1992: Skyscan's Aerial View of Cookham Bridge in The Secret Thames -
Skyscan's Aerial View of Cookham Bridge.
1920: Fred Thacker, The Thames Highway –
“It has been described as the cheapest bridge on the river for its size”. Fred had a devastating understated humour –
he adds “Its appearance is not unfavourable to the statement.” Ironically he goes on “But it is at least
white …”
1999: Oh no its not – it’s a terrible sort of
depressing blue. What is Cookham trying
to say about itself? Whatever it is I
don’t want to know! Cookham is a lovely
place.
Cookham Bridge.
Don’t look too closely! That
blue might be subliminal.
Cookham Bridge, Timmy Mallett © 2002
Timmy Mallett writes of his painting -
This is Cookham bridge over the Thames. There was a huge outcry when it was painted this bright blue.
I think it's a great colour!
I once hit the pillars of this bridge in a hire boat! Don't ever ask me to steer......
Up on the bridge is my artist mate and fellow Cookham Wanderer,
Stevie Smith, who painted the same view with me.
It was a grey old English day on the day we sat painting this but the reflections
were wonderful - especially of the lovely orange red brick hexagonal toll house.
Cookham Bridge, Doug Myers © 2005
View from Cookham Bridge, Stanley Spencer
Upstream to Bourne End Railway & Foot Bridge
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