Sandwich Toll Bridge is a Grade II listed road swing bridge over the River Stour in Sandwich, Kent. It opened in 1755 on a site that had been a crossing for centuries, and has had several iterations; the current is a swing bridge that opened in 1892. Tolls were abolished in 1977.
The bridge has been part of the A256 road, a major route across east Kent. This became a significant traffic bottleneck, until a bypass opened in 1981.
A plaque on the bridge indicates there has been a tolled crossing, originally a ferry, in this rough location since 1127.[1] The crossing forms part of a former turnpike road from Sandwich to the Isle of Thanet that has existed since the late 14th century.[2] A customs house was built at the southern edge of the crossing during Edward IV's reign.[3] The ferry route was frequently dangerous and difficult, and the Mayor of Sandwich petitioned Parliament to have a permanent bridge installed.[4]
| Short Title: | Sandwich Bridge Act 1755 |
| Type: | Act |
| Parliament: | Parliament of Great Britain |
| Long Title: | An Act for building a Bridge over the Water, or Haven, between the Town of Sandwich and the opposite Shore in the County of Kent. |
| Year: | 1755 |
| Citation: | 28 Geo. 2. c. 55 |
| Royal Assent: | 25 April 1755 |
| Collapsed: | yes |
The original bridge was authorised by the Sandwich Bridge Act 1755 and opened that year.[3] The total cost was £1,000, of which £600 was publicly funded with the remainder coming from the Corporation of Sandwich.[4] It was rebuilt in 1773 from Portland stone with a timber raised platform.[5] A table of tolls is displayed on the side of the adjacent Barbican Gate to the south.[2] A new wooden bridge was constructed in 1856, followed by a three-arch iron swing bridge in 1892, to allow river traffic to pass through.[4] [6] The reconstruction supported stone arches at the north and south ends. The bridge supports the town's coat of arms on its side.[7]
The bridge formed part of the original route of the A256, a major road along the East Kent coast from Dover to Thanet. In 1962, the toll was 1 shilling (5p) for cars and 1/3 (6¼p) - 1/6 (7½p) for goods vehicles.[8] By 1965, it had become a significant bottleneck on the A256 as it could only carry a single lane of motor traffic and was the only crossing of the Stour in the local area.[9] A petition for a bypass was signed by 3,000 residents.[10] In 1973, a fund was set up to use excess monies from tolls to pay for local infrastructure.[11]
The bridge was Grade II listed in 1976. Tolls were abolished the following year, with the final one being collected by the Mayor Councillor on 30 September.[2] [1] A bypass of Sandwich opened in 1981, taking traffic away from the bridge, yet it continued to attract congestion as it was used as a rat run.[12]
In 2018, the bridge began to suffer reliability problems.[13] While Kent County Council were investigating repairs, on 9 June 2019, the bridge was stuck open after shipping vessel passed through. Following emergency work, it reopened on 24 June.[14] The bridge was expected to close again in February 2020 to all traffic, including pedestrians, but this was postponed.[15] [16] The repairs eventually began in September 2020, closing the bridge for 11 weeks, costing the council half a million pounds. Further maintenance, installing a bespoke gearbox on the bridge, continued the following year.[17]