Kew Railway Bridge

Kew Railway Bridge spans the River Thames in London, England, between Kew and Strand-on-the-Green, Chiswick. The bridge, which was given Grade II listed structure protection in 1983,[1] was designed by W. R. Galbraith[2] and built by Brassey & Ogilvie for the London and South Western Railway. The bridge is part of an extension to the latter company's railway line from Acton Junction to Richmond. The bridge was opened in 1869[1] and consists of five wrought iron lattice girder spans of 35 metres each. The cast iron piers are decorated in three stages. During the Second World War a pillbox was built to guard it on the south end, along with an open enclosure to fire an anti-tank gun from.

Kew Railway Bridge
Kew Railway Bridge
Coordinates	51°29′02″N 0°16′46″W
Carries	North London Line of the London Overground London Underground District line
Crosses	River Thames
Locale	Kew
Maintained by	Network Rail
Heritage status	Grade II listed structure[1]
Characteristics
Design	Lattice girder[1]
Material	Wrought iron
Total length	575 feet
No. of spans	5
History
Designer	W. R. Galbraith[2][1]
Opened	1 January 1869[1]
Statistics
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name	Kew Railway Bridge
Designated	25 May 1983
Reference no.	1065412
Location

Kew Railway Bridge stonework

The bridge carries two tracks which are electrified with both third rail and London Underground-style fourth rail. It is now owned by Network Rail and used by London Overground for North London line passenger trains running between Richmond and Stratford. The same tracks are also used by London Underground's District line trains running between Richmond and Upminster.

In 1964 the north arch under Kew Railway Bridge was acquired by Strand on the Green Sailing Club, and has been rented from British Rail and its heirs ever since.

In fiction

In The Dalek Invasion of Earth, a 1964 serial from the BBC's Doctor Who, the TARDIS materialises under Kew Railway Bridge, where it is subsequently trapped when the bridge collapses.[3] A District line service can also be seen crossing the bridge in the 1965 film Four in the Morning.

See also

• Crossings of the River Thames
• List of lattice girder bridges in the United Kingdom
• List of bridges in London

References

1. Historic England (25 May 1983). "Kew Railway Bridge (1065412)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
2. Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner (1983). The Buildings of England – London 2: South. London: Penguin Books. p. 715. ISBN 0 14 0710 47 7.
3. "Kew Railway Bridge". Drwholocations.net. Retrieved 6 March 2013.

External links

• Media related to Kew Railway Bridge at Wikimedia Commons