By Cllr Jason Brock
On Tuesday, we marked a very special occasion – the centenary of Reading Bridge.
Opened on 3rd October 1923, to marginally less traffic than it carries today, it has been a key strategic route in and out of Reading ever since, particularly with urban growth north of the River Thames around the Caversham area.
When Caversham (along with Tilehurst) became part of the Borough of Reading in 1911 and began to grow, with more housing and more people attracted to it, it became clear that better transport links to the town centre were a necessity and the new bridge was commissioned. Unfortunately, the First World War began before it could be built, and work was subsequently delayed for years.
However, in 1922 a contract for the construction was agreed with Holloway Brothers Limited of Westminster, and the building of the bridge began in March of that year.
Construction took just 18 months, and Reading Bridge opened to the public on 3 October 1923. For the first five years of its life, Reading Bridge had the longest single span in the UK at 180 feet.
The bridge was designed to take the weight of as many 20-tonne traction engines as could fit on it. I
The first vehicle to cross from Caversham into Reading was a van from the Reading and Caversham Laundry Company – a company which is still trading today.
As Reading continued to grow, so the bridge became more and more valuable, taking increasing numbers of vehicles in and out of town. When it was built, no one could have conceived that daily vehicle crossings would eventually reach around 27,000.
This heavy daily usage, along with the cumulative effect of erosion from the River Thames, meant that essential work to strengthen the bridge was required and, 10 years ago, a £3m grant enabled Reading Borough Council to undertake that vital work, safeguarding the bridge and its valuable contribution to Reading life for the future. The disruption at the time was a clear indicator of the value of Reading Bridge to our town.
Which brings me to this week’s celebrations, exactly 100 years on from the chairman of the Borough Extension Committee, John Wesley Martin, opening the bridge. On Tuesday the Mayor of Reading, Cllr Tony Page, unveiled a plaque to mark the 100-year anniversary alongside councillors and members of CADRA, the Caversham and District Residents’ Association (whom I thank for some of the facts in this column from their fascinating 100 Years of Reading Bridge leaflet!).
As part of the celebrations, three vintage cars supplied by the Berkshire Motor Show were driven across the bridge, a snapshot of times gone by. Preceding the vintage cars were local councillors cycling over the bridge – a small but noteworthy contribution to our commitment to active travel!
Reading Bridge remains an iconic landmark in the town, and certainly one of the most valuable and most used, not least because it remains one of only two main bridges across the Thames in Reading, despite this Council’s continued campaigning for a third one which has been blocked at every turn by some of our Oxfordshire neighbours to the north.
In the meantime, I’m sure everyone will continue to make good use of Reading Bridge, whether by bike, by foot or car. Don’t forget to wish her a happy 100th birthday as you go.
Cllr Jason Brock is the leader of Reading Borough Council and ward member for Southcote
