| Upminster Bridge | |
|---|---|
_011.jpg) Upminster Bridge over the Ingrebourne | |
  Upminster Bridge Location withinGreater London | |
| OS grid reference | TQ552867 |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HORNCHURCH |
| Postcode district | RM12 |
| Post town | UPMINSTER |
| Postcode district | RM14 |
| Dialling code | 01708 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
| 51°33′28″N0°14′23″E / 51.5577°N 0.2397°E /51.5577; 0.2397 | |
Upminster Bridge is a crossing of theRiver Ingrebourne carrying theA124 road between the suburbs ofHornchurch andUpminster in northeastLondon, England.[1] The bridge is known to have existed since at least 1375[2] and the current brick bridge was opened in 1892, replacing a series of wooden bridges. It gave its name to the nearbyUpminster Bridge tube station, which opened in 1934, and has also been applied to the neighbourhood around the station in theLondon Borough of Havering.
The bridge has been alternatively known asBridge House Bridge andLower Bridge, withBridge House referring to a house which stood nearby on the current site ofHornchurch Stadium.[2] The placenameUpminster is first recorded in 1062 asUpmynstre and is recorded in the 1086Domesday Book.[3] It is formed fromOld Englishupp andmynster, possibly meaning the large church on high ground, above the valley of the Ingrebourne.[3] However, it may also indicate the position of an Anglo-Saxon minster secondary to those at Barking or Tilbury.[4]
The bridge has existed since at least 1375. It is recorded in 1617 as being in need of repair. TheRiver Ingrebourne formed the boundary between the ancient parishes of Hornchurch and Upminster. However, upkeep of all bridges over the river were the responsibility of the Upminster parish authorities, as Hornchurch claimed exception due to the charter of theRoyal Liberty of Havering.[2] The wooden bridge was destroyed and replaced with another after the winter of 1709/10. Replacement wooden carriage bridges were constructed in 1759 and 1827 and an adjacent ford was in use up until the 19th century. A stone and brick structure was completed in 1892[2] and contains atime capsule.[5][6]
The significance of the boundary was reduced in 1934 when both sides became part ofHornchurch Urban District.Upminster Bridge tube station opened in 1934.[7] Until its last replacement with railings in the 1980s byHavering London Borough Council, the bridge used to have two low height cast-iron plated bridge sides that were cast by theWhitechapel Bell Foundry, makers ofBig Ben and other bells in theHouses of Parliament. A nearby pub used to bear the nameThe Bridge House but is now calledThe Windmill, after a brief period being theHungry Horse.
The area is split between the Hornchurch and Upminsterpost towns. However, the post town boundary does not follow the line of the river, instead deviating from it at Hacton Bridge, following theFenchurch Street–Southend railway line to Berkeley Close and then realigning to the river at Upminster Golf Course. This causes three streets east of the Ingrebourne to be in the Hornchurch post town and twelve streets west of the river to be in the Upminster post town. The street names Bridge Avenue, Boundary Road, Hornminster Glen and Minster Way allude the nature of the location as a boundary between places.
It is the location ofUpminster Bridge tube station. The area is served by the193,248 and370 bus routes, with services toCranham,Romford, Upminster andLakeside.[8] TheLondon Loop key walking route passes through the Upminster Bridge area, and the station forms the end point of section 22 fromHarold Wood and the starting point of section 23 toRainham.[9][10]
Until 1972, bus routes on theA124 road that crosses the narrow bridge were more numerous. Before248 was extended from its orbital run aroundUpminster Park Estate to connect into Romford town centre, theLondon Transport buses reachingUpminster station were the193 and the86. The latter running all the way from Bow and Limehouse the 15 or so miles to Upminster most of the time hugging the course of theA124 road.
