Barnes Bridge, photographed on 7th July 2007. photograph by Gregory Beecroft

The original Barnes railway bridge, built in 1849 by Thomas Brassey to the design of Joseph Locke, has three cast iron segmental arches on brick and masonry piers. It was very similar to the original Richmond river bridge, completed a year earlier, but at 120 feet the span of each arch is somewhat wider. With cast iron out of favour, a parallel bridge was built in 1895, immediately downstream, and the railway diverted over it. This was designed by the LSWR's engineer Edmund Andrews. The new bridge has three wrought iron bow-string spans, each span comprising three parallel members, with the tracks between. This is quite a late use of wrought iron. A public footbridge is cantilevered off the downstream side of the new bridge. A segmental arch in yellow brick at the south end of the bridge carries the railway over a road, The Terrace. The old bridge now carries a cable route. For many years special trains were run onto to bridge so that passengers could observe the annual Oxford versus Cambridge University boat race.

Barnes Bridge. photograph by Gregory Beecroft

The river piers of the 1895 bridge have relieving arches, with prominent voussoirs, which are only evident at low tide. This is an unusual feature for an underwater structure, because the arches are likely to disrupt the flow past the pier, which can cause scour. The darker brick and quoins to the left of the arch are part of the original bridge. Photographed 2nd October 2010. photograph by Gregory Beecroft