Maidenhead Railway Bridge (MLN12327)

Maidenhead Railway Bridge is a Grade I listed structure made of fine red brick with Bramley Fall gritstone dressings and thick York stone slabs for the deck. The bridge was constructed in two phases, which are connected internally by iron tie rods.

The south elevation of the bridge is symmetrical from east to west. It features a plain terminal projecting pier, plain walling, and three flood arches with semi-circular spans of 28 feet (8.5 meters). This is followed by a projecting pier framed by paired Doric pilasters, which has a 25-foot (6.5 meters) semi-circular flood arch. Next is the western river arch, which has a semi-elliptical span of 128 feet (approximately 39 meters) across a rise of only 25 feet 3 inches (7.4 meters). The central pier on Guards' Club Island is also projecting and articulated by corner pilasters. The eastern river arch mirrors the western one, featuring another semi-elliptical span of 128 feet (approximately 39 meters) across the same rise. On the eastern bank, there is a projecting pier framed by paired Doric pilasters with a 25-foot (6.5 meters) semi-circular flood arch, followed by three flood arches with 28-foot (8.5 meters) semi-circular spans, plain walling, and a plain projecting east pier. The entire elevation is topped with a parapet that has gritstone coping above a bold gritstone cornice with roll moulding and a plain frieze.

The north elevation is identical to the south. The soffits feature gritstone impost bands that continue as the bases of the pier pilasters. A chamfered edge in the soffits marks the boundary between the original bridge built from 1837 to 1839 and the extensions added from 1890 to 1893, with the latter being slightly higher than the original arches.

Due to the mature vegetation on both banks, the bridge is not visible from the wider landscape, except when viewed from the River Thames, its banks, and the Grade I listed 18th-century Maidenhead Road Bridge to the north, which carries the A4. In these views, the railway bridge stands out prominently, creating a celebrated river scene alongside the Maidenhead Bridge.