26 April 2009

Thames Crossings 11: Wandsworth Bridge


Downriver from Fulham Railway Bridge is Wandsworth Bridge. The distinctive blue iron sides date from 1940.

On the south side is a roundabout with a sculpture that looks like the logo of a mid-range saloon car, or a pretzel, or something that comes out of your washing machine when you try to fix it.


From here the north bank is Chelsea roads and lanes. On the south bank it's all new development, spiffy waterside steel'n'glass blocks with upmarket bars and 'convenience outlets', which means shops, only more expensive. There's a promenade that you're not supposed to cycle along. It eventually ejects you into the streets and lanes going up to Battersea Bridge, about a mile away.

6 comments:

  1. Actually I always thought that structure on the south side looked like the thing out of Contact, (weird gyroscopic framework they built from alien instructions to send someone across space).

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  2. Hi, I'm coming down from Licolnshire for the Skyride and have to cycle from Kings X to Putney, hopefully without getting killed and as much as possible by the river,any suggestions? By the way if I'm in the wrong place please direct me elsewhere, Thanks

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  3. Hi @Anonymous... Kings Cross to Putney isn't straightforward. When I've done it with friends in the past, we've cycled due south to Waterloo and got the train from there to Putney.

    You can cycle from Waterloo mostly along the riverfront (cycle free or on quiet lanes) to Putney. Allow an hour or two though - the distances are short but they are leisurely. You might find the 'London Thames' link at the top left of this page helpful. It gives brief details on the riverside cycle routes on both sides between all the London bridges.

    Good luck and see you on the Skyride!

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  4. Hi, Many thanks Rob, enjoy the day, John.

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  5. Hi,

    Can someone please help resolve a disagreement between a pedestrian and a cyclist - are the paths on the Wandsworth Bridge one-way, or bi-directional?

    Thanks!

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    1. As I understand it (from specific advice from the council in York), they'll be bi-directional, like footway-based cycle-paths generally. Like pedestrians, you can go whichever way you like.

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