Marlow Bridge

Grade I listed suspension bridge and Marlow's defining landmark

Marlow's suspension bridge is the town's most recognisable feature — a graceful white span connecting Buckinghamshire to Berkshire across the Thames. Designed by William Tierney Clark and completed in 1832, it replaced a wooden bridge that had been in various states of disrepair. The bridge is Grade I listed and carries a single lane of traffic along with a footpath, though its real purpose today is photographic: the view upstream through the chains, with All Saints Church rising behind the trees, is the postcard shot of Marlow.

Walk across at dusk when the light catches the river, or stand on the Bisham side looking back toward town. The bridge connects directly to the Thames Path, making it the natural starting point for walks in either direction — downstream toward Marlow Lock and Cookham, or upstream toward Hurley and Henley.

things to do sight
A story
William Tierney Clark designed this bridge in 1832 as a prototype for his much larger Szechenyi Chain Bridge in Budapest. The two are near-identical in design — Marlow is simply the miniature version, making it the only bridge in England with a twin on the Danube.