History of the Itchen Bridge and its Locality
Timeline of the Bridge
- 1796: Northam Bridge built by the Northam Bridge Company
- 30 August 1833: Itchen Bridge Company formed, with the intention of building a swing bridge across
the Itchen - but when the Admiralty objects (concerned about obstruction to navigation on the river),
an alternative plan for a floating bridge is hatched
- 1834: Parliament passes an Act to allow the building of the floating bridge
- 3 November 1835: First floating bridge arrives in Southampton, ready to begin work shortly
- 23 November 1835: Floating bridge opens to the public
- 4 March 1850: Bankruptcy forces closure of the bridge
- 8 April 1852: Re-formed company (now the Itchen Floating Bridge Company) restores the service
- 1934: Southampton Corporation buys the Itchen Floating Bridge and its roads
- 1954: A new Northam Bridge opened
- 1959-60: Southampton Corporation applies to Parliament for an Act to build a permanent bridge as a
replacement for the floating bridge
- 1972: Southampton City Council decides to build a permanent bridge at the site of the floating bridge
- July 1973: Private Bill passed by Parliament, allowing tolls to be charged for crossing the planned
Itchen Bridge
- February 1974: Contract for building the Itchen Bridge awarded to Kier Ltd
- 22 March 1974: Inauguration ceremony
- 31 May 1977: Mrs Edith Park from Sholing becomes the first member of the public to cross the bridge
when it's opened to pedestrians
- 31 May 1977: Chips becomes the first dog to cross the Itchen Bridge. Escorted by his owner, Mrs Grace,
Chips raced an alsation across the new bridge. In a tactical error, the alstation's owner stopped at the
summit to enjoy the view - allowing Chips to complete the journey from east to west and claim his place
in Southampton history
- 1 June 1977: Councillor Joyce Pitter, Mayor of Southampton, formally opens the Itchen Bridge and it
is now open to traffic
- 11 June 1977: Itchen Floating Bridge makes its final trip
- 12 June 1977: Bus services introduce the Itchen Bridge into their timetables
- 13 July 1977: Princess Alexandra opens the Itchen Bridge
Historical Articles
- The Itchen Floating Bridge
- The Itchen Bridge
- Supermarine
- Vosper Thorneycroft
- Hovercraft service
- Princess Alexandra