Restoration plans revealed for 18th Century bridge

Designs for the restoration of a 18th Century bridge that closed in 2022 because of safety concerns have been revealed.

The Marsh Head Horsebridge in Henley, Oxfordshire, was first built in 1796 and connects Henley with the village of Shiplake.

Its closure in 2022 means Thames Path walkers face an extra three-mile (4.8km) diversion up steep hills and past main roads.

The Environment Agency (EA) said the project would be partly crowdfunded with donations, because it was unable to meet the full cost with government funds.

The project will likely cost more than £2.5m with no set date for work to begin currently in place.

In addition to crowdfunding, the EA will look to secure funds from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, local councils and private donors.

It said the current design would be "very similar" to the old bridge, with guard piles installed to protect it from river vessels.

Peter Collins, operations manager with the EA, said crowdfunding was being used because the bridge was not an "operational asset" like locks or weirs, which had funding priority.

"We're finding a number of [Thames Path] bridges are coming to the end of their natural life at the same time, and they can't be maintained to keep them open," he said.

"But we want to find ways to restore them as quickly as possible."

Wendy Tobitt, chair of the Thames Path Partnership, said she was confident the EA's crowdfunding approach would be effective.

"It's a very creative way of doing it," she said "I think local people want to see [the restoration] happen".

"They're prepared to put in five or ten pounds because they want to make sure that they are going to get a footbridge here for the future," Tobitt added.

The Thames Path runs for 185 miles (298km) through Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and London.

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