The LOSRA Chairman was an invited guest at today's ceremony for the handing over of Walton Bridge to Surrey County Council and he gives the following report:

A little reminiscent of the one in Sydney Harbour (although admittedly somewhat smaller), the new arched Walton Bridge over the Thames was formally handed over to Surrey County Council on 11 July. The approach roads and landscaping on each end still remain to be completed, but the brand new bridge was crossed by some classic cars, and a procession of boats passed underneath it. The two traffic lanes in the centre are flanked on either side by wide raised pavements, which one presumes could safely carry both pedestrians and cyclists. The two older bridges standing next to it (numbers four and five in the succession of bridges to have spanned the river at this point) will eventually be demolished.

As one question put it, why is it called “Walton” and not “Shepperton” Bridge? Apparently, the first bridge erected in 1750 (and made of elm, hence the Borough of Elmbridge), was paid for by a man from the southern bank, and was therefore named Walton Bridge. There was perhaps another reason: by at least one account, there were objections to the construction of the bridge from ferry operators, who thought it would hurt their trade, the bargees who thought it would make the river impassable, and residents of Walton-on-Thames who were “worried about an influx of undesirable elements from north of the river”. (I hasten to add there was no evidence of these ancient animosities at the handover ceremony: present were mayors and council leaders from both the Surrey and Middlesex banks, the leader of the County Council, two cabinet ministers and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.)

The visible steelwork has been kept to a minimum to reduce its impact on its surroundings, and the new bridge is certainly much more pleasing to look at than its two utilitarian predecessors. And the colour? It was chosen to make the new bridge as visible as possible to short-sighted low-flying swans.

For those interested in the history of the bridges at this location on the Thames, a booklet to commemorate the new bridge and its predecessors can be purchased from the Sunbury and Shepperton Local History Society which may be contacted on http://sslhs.org.uk/