New life for old bridge which serves as gateway into Buckingham

And there was cause for celebration this week, when an early September date was set for the works to start.

Roger Edwards, chairman of the Buckingham Society, said: “It has been a campaign for us, and this is something that we feel will help the town.

“The bridge has been suffering and looks run down, it’s the main entrance into Buckingham and this news is really good.”

The bridge was built in 1805 by the Marquess of Buckingham.

Transport for Bucks chiefs confirmed this week that works will take place, and a tendering process has begun to decide which firm will get the work.

As part of the works stone coping will be replaced by the footbridge, the parapet and retaining stone will be cleaned and eroded stonework will be replaced.

The stonework will also be treated with a special spray, which protects it from future erosion from road spray.

Vegetation will be removed from the bridge, as well as de-silting of the arch, and repairs to the iconic coat of arms which sits in the centre of the structure. Council workers have already done a test cleaning experiment, to see what effect the method will have on the stonework.

Mr Edwards added: “We can expect fairly soon to see the whole bridge cleaned up, stonework repaired and this important part of Buckingham’s history restored to something approaching its former glory.”

He added: “The Buckingham Society has been encouraging this action for some time.”

Dan Elworthy, of Transport of Buckinghamshire said: “Work on the London Road Bridge in Buckingham is due to start in early September.

“We are currently going through the tendering process for this work, so are unable to confirm costs at this 
stage.”