Crossings of the River Thames 11 - Barnes Bridge

I know this may sound even more geeky, but I was actually really looking forward to this crossing. And why? Well, it was the only crossing on this journey that I have never used before, either by foot or rail, so for me it was a real first timer event.



Barnes itself is what they call a weird and wonderful place. It looks like a Victorian seaside town and its central highlight is a pond. It is also a very British place and quite unlike the rest of London with a real old English feel to it. Hemmed in by Common land and the river itself, it seems to have been stuck in the London of yesteryear and seems out of place with the rest of the metropolis.



Barnes Bridge perfectly fits that analysis too. WIth a real old English feel to it, the bridge feels like a relic of Victorian times, stuck in the time warp of yesteryear. Replace the modern day stock with steam locomotives and you would have to pinch yourself that you were no longer in the twenty-first century. And it is a bridge designed for an era without the car. A small pedestrian walkway adjoining the main crossing that carries the 'Great' South West train service across the Thames. At that time of the day, it is well used, mainly by joggers along the Thames path.



Despite the surroundings, I quite like Barnes Bridge itself. Not so much for the structure or the functionality, but because it actually exists. Something as quaint as a pedestrian crossing is still maintained next to the rather more important rail crossing. It is not because it is well utilised, or that it serves anything important. The crossing exists because, why not? Oh and I suppose you also have to ask, where would the spectators go for the boat race?



Getting there:


or buses 209, 419 and N22 call right by the bridge (Southbank only)