Culham Bridge was built in 1416-22 at the same time as Abingdon bridge and the causeway linking Abingdon with Culham. All were built by local merchants, the chief of whom were Geoffrey Barbour and John Howchion. The Fraternity of the Holy Cross, a town guild, contributed large sums of money towards the cost.
The five pointed arches still survive although the bridge was widened in the 18th century. It has been bypassed by the modern road alongside.
The bridge crosses the Swift Ditch which was conjectured to be the original course of the Thames but is now thought more likely to be the channel dug across the Abbey Meadow by Abbot Ordric in 1052 to improve the course of the river through Abingdon. It was the main navigable channel from around 1060 to 1550 and again from 1630 to 1790 when the current lock at Abingdon was built. The remains of one of the first pound locks built on the Thames can be found at the north end of Swift Ditch, it was built in c1635. Swift Ditch and the Thames form Andersey Island, one of the largest inland islands in the country.
On January 11th 1645, during the Civil War, a Royalist force which included Sir Henry Gage, Governor of Oxford, Prince Rupert and Prince Maurice made an unsuccessful attack on Culham Bridge in the course of which Gage was killed. He was given an impressive military funeral at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford where he is buried.
The cache is a small cylindrical cannister and the contents when placed were...
- A 1st class stamp
- A green marble
- A US dime
- A US penny
- A 20 euro cent coin
- A UAE 1 dirham coin
- A French franc
There is no pen so don't forget to bring one with you. The cache can be done very quickly from the parking at the end of the bridge on The Burycroft. Or if you fancy a more leisurely hunt you can have a very pleasant walk or cycle along the Thames Path from Culham or Abingdon where you will find ample parking.