London isn’t particularly thin on the ground in the bridge department. There are a plethora of picture-perfect pathways linking the separate sides of our city, ranging from tiny and twee to enormous and elaborate. And we Londoners can be pretty darn passionate about which of them we think is the best.
But whilst the subject of popularity may be up for debate; something that is undisputable is which of London’s abundance of bridges is the oldest. And that, my friends, would be Clattern Bridge.
Clattern Bridge
Now, I know it’s highly likely that you’ve never even heard of Clattern Bridge. But, fear not, folks – I’m here to tell you all about it. Picturesquely perched over in Kingston, this historic hidden gem is actually one of the oldest surviving bridges in the whole country. And – unlike most London bridges – it doesn’t technically cross the River Thames; it crosses the River Hogsmill (a tributary of the Thames, just before it flows into the main river).
The ancient artefact dates all the way back to 1175, and features some rather impressive medieval masonry. The lower part of the bridge consists of three arches, made of local stone – and the structure was declared an ancient monument in 1938. Clattern Bridge now proudly boasts both a shiny, blue plaque, and Grade I listed status. Not bad going, hey?
Clattern Bridge has been widened a couple of times over the years, but not a great deal has changed about it in the last 850 years. Well, aside from the way in which people most commonly venture across it. The bridge was named after the sound made by the horses hooves that frequently trotted across it. Nowadays, I can’t imagine it receives quite as much hoof-fall.
