1. www.highwaysmagazine.co.ukJUNE 2016565656 BRIDGE MAINTENANCEBRIDGE MAINTENANCEBRIDGE MAINTENANCE
Transport for Buckinghamshire (TfB) is a public/private sector alliance run by
Ringway Jacobs and Buckinghamshire County Council to deliver highways services
within Buckinghamshire. This article examines the restoration of the county’s historic
Long Bridge
Buckingham’s heritage highway
Whether you are driving up to
Buckingham from Aylesbury on
the A413, walking on the banks of
the River Great Ouse, or enjoying
the riverside children’s play area,
the London Road Bridge – or the
Long Bridge, as it is known locally
– is a prominent feature of both
the old market town’s highway,
and the Georgian architecture of
Buckingham.
Built to coincide with a royal visit by the
Prince Regent in 1805 by the Marquess
of Buckingham, the Long Bridge has
been in use as a road bridge for over
200 years, but in recent years fell into
some disrepair. Local civic volunteer
group, The Buckingham Society,
began campaigning to have the bridge
repaired and restored to its former
glory, and earlier this year Transport
for Buckinghamshire embarked on
a project to structurally repair, and
aesthetically restore, the local landmark.
The Long Bridge is a three span arch
structure built of stone masonry,
very much in keeping with the
architectural style of nearby
Stowe – the Marquess’s
grand Buckingham
residence – and was
Grade II listed in 1972.
Calls came to organise
the refurbishment of
the bridge last year, to prevent further
deterioration as the coping stones on
the parapet were in very poor condition.
County councillor Mark Shaw, who is
the cabinet member for transportation
in Buckinghamshire, said: “We were
really pleased to be able to carry
out crucial maintenance to one of
Buckingham’s heritage points, which
has long served as an important link in
Buckinghamshire’s highway network.
Safety and security were, naturally,
paramount but importance was
also placed on the protection of the
appearance of the bridge, as a focal
point in this historic town.”
Restoring
Georgian stonework
The impressive structure was somewhat
of a vanity project for the Marquess
in 1805, as it formed the entrance into
Buckingham from the direction of
London. In the same year the Marquess
also built the two Buckingham Lodges,
which mark the start of the road from
Buckingham to Stowe.
On each face of the bridge there are
decorative emblems made from artificial
‘Coade Stone’, a mid 18th Century
innovation developed by formidable
businesswoman Eleanor Coade. The
stone, produced at the Coade and
Sealy factory in Lambeth, was a
strong and weather-resistant ‘twice
fired’ material for creating statues and
ornamental architectural features. The
two Coade stone embellishments on
the Long Bridge, one of which is the
Marquess’s coat of arms and the other
the Buckinghamshire swan, are points
of historic interest for the Buckingham
Society and local residents.
The works took the best part of three
months beginning in early January,
and were carried out by Transport for
Buckinghamshire supply chain partner
Fergal Contracting Co Ltd. The works
involved removing vegetation and de-
silting the arch, replacing stone coping
by the footbridge, cleaning the parapet
and retaining stone, and replacing
eroded stonework before treating with
a special spray to protect it from future
erosion. Prior to the repairs to the coat
of arms, a cleaning test was carried out
to check the effect the method would
have on the stonework, to ensure its
safe and careful restoration.
After the completion of the works
the chairperson of the Buckingham
Society, Roger Edwards, described the
works as being ‘undertaken with the
utmost care and attention to detail’ and
emphasised the ‘dramatic change in the
look of the Marquess of Buckingham’s
coat of arms on the pedestrian side of
the bridge.’ Local residents described
the restoration as ‘superb’ and
‘much needed’.
And so, the bridge is returned to its
original appearance and looks much as
it would have done in 1805, ready for
the next 200 years.
View of the bridge showing Buckinghamshire Swan
New flag stones outside the Old Gaol