it.

Within the memory of man there was a beautiful old bridge between
Reading and Caversham. It was built of brick, and had ten arches, some
constructed of stone. About the time of the Restoration some of these
were ruinous, and obstructed the passage by penning up the water above
the bridge so that boats could not pass without the use of a winch,
and in the time of James II the barge-masters of Oxford appealed to
Courts of Exchequer, asserting that the charges of pontage exacted on
all barges passing under the bridge were unlawful, claiming exemption
from all tolls by reason of a charter granted to the citizens of
Oxford by Richard II. They won their case. This bridge is mentioned in
the Close Rolls of the early years of Edward I as a place where
assizes were held. The bridge at Cromarsh and Grandpont outside Oxford
were frequently used for the same purpose. So narrow was it that two
vehicles could not pass. For the safety of the foot passenger little
angles were provided at intervals into which he could step in order
to avoid being run over by carts or coaches. The chapel on the bridge
was a noted feature of the bridge. It was very ancient. In 1239
Engelard de Cyngny was ordered to let William, chaplain of the chapel
of Caversham, have an oak out of Windsor Forest with which to make
shingles for the roofing of the chapel. Passengers made offerings in
the chapel to the priest in charge of it for the repair of the bridge
and the maintenance of the chapel and priest. It contained many relics
of saints, which at the Dissolution were eagerly seized by Dr. London,
the King's Commissioner. About the year 1870 the old bridge was pulled
down and the present hideous iron-girder erection substituted for it.
It is extremely ugly, but is certainly more convenient than the old
narrow bridge, which required passengers to retire into the angle to
avoid the danger of being run over.

These bridges can tell many tales of battle and bloodshed. There was a
great skirmish on Caversham Bridge in the Civil War in a vain attempt
on the part of the Royalists to relieve the siege of Reading. When
Wallingford was threatened in the same period of the Great Rebellion,
one part of the bridge was cut in order to prevent the enemy riding
into the town. And you can still detect the part that was severed.
There is a very interesting old bridge across the upper Thames between
Bampton and Faringdon. It is called Radcot Bridge; probably built in
the