Halfpenny Bridge

Halfpenny Bridge crosses the River Thames on the A361. Officially the name of the bridge is 'Lechdale Town Bridge' and the nickname of Halfpenny was the amount of toll required.It is the extent of the navigable Thames.

Looking across the bridge from Lechlade

The bridge was built in 1792 as part of a Turnpike Road and has one large span across the river, with a small flood arch on the southern side, through which the river now normally flows as well. Beyond this, well onto the riverbank, is another arch for pedestrians, which may have originated as part of a towpath on what is still a navigable stretch of the river.

The most prominent feature of the bridge is the toll house on the north east corner, from where the tolls would have been collected. The room below is believed to have served as a jail at times. The whole structure is constructed from the beautiful local Cotswold Stone, and provides a pleasant scene when reflected in the water!

Today the bridge is a narrow bottleneck on the A361, with traffic lights controlling flow across it. The bridge is almost wide enough for two cars to pass, but with a humpback and plenty of pedestrian traffic, a wide pavement has been installed on the western side.

The bridge is a scheduled monument - see Historic England.