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The Great Britain Guide

Historic bridges · South East England

High Bridge

Free admission

High Bridge is a historic bridge in the United Kingdom.

High Bridge, historic bridges in South East England

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
15 min–30 min
Nearest railway station
Reading · 0.6 km
  • Free entry
  • Dog-friendly

About

High Bridge is a named historic bridge in the United Kingdom. Coordinates: 51.4541°, -0.9686°. This entry is part of The Great Britain Guide, a free, ad-free, open-data tourist directory.

Photo gallery

From the Wikipedia article

High Bridge, sometimes known as Duke Street Bridge, is a bridge across the River Kennet in the town centre of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It links Duke Street, to its north, and London Street, to its south. High Bridge is the oldest surviving bridge across the Kennet, and is both a scheduled monument and a grade II listed building. It comprises a single arch of vermiculated Portland stone, with a plain keystone of ashlar. The bridge forms the downstream limit of the Brewery Gut, a particularly narrow stretch of the river, and, situated as it is on a blind bend on the river, itself provides a challenge for navigation. For this reason, navigation under the bridge and through the Brewery Gut is controlled by a set of traffic lights on a one-way basis.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

The first bridge in Reading to be built over the Kennet was located at Seven Bridges, in the oldest, Saxon, part of the town. The bridging point now occupied by the High Bridge was probably the second to be used, providing, as it did, a more convenient access to Reading Abbey (founded in 1121) and its environs. Certainly there was a bridge on the site by the time of John Speed's map of 1611, and in 1707 a new wooden bridge was constructed on the site. By 1788, the timber-framed bridge of 1707 required replacement, and a stone bridge able to handle wagon traffic generated by the textile industry was commissioned. Initially commissioned from architect Robert Furze Brettingham the Corporation…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
51.4541, -0.9686
District
Reading
Parish
Reading, unparished area
Postcode
RG1 4PN
Parliamentary constituency
Reading Central
Phone
+44 118 950 5222
Nearest railway station
Reading0.6 km
Opening
November 1788
Official site
escapehunt.com

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is High Bridge?
High Bridge is in South-East England, United Kingdom (postcode RG1 4PN), in the parish of Reading, unparished area.
Who owns High Bridge?
High Bridge is owned by | maint =.
Is High Bridge free to visit?
Yes, High Bridge is free to enter.
How do I get to High Bridge?
The nearest railway station is Reading, about 0.6 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode RG1 4PN.