Before the opening of Reading Bridge, the only road crossing between Reading and Caversham was at the
Caversham Bridge site some upstream, which has accommodated a series of bridges since around the end of the 12th century. In later years, a narrow footbridge across the top of the weir at Caversham Lock, known locally as
The Clappers, provided a supplementary pedestrian route, especially between the
terraced housing of Lower Caversham and the factory of
Huntley & Palmers, but was becoming increasingly congested. In 1871, the Corporation of Reading had obtained permission to build a
swing bridge across the river just above Caversham Lock, but this was never done. However in 1911, Caversham was absorbed into the borough of Reading, and as part of the 1911 Extension Order (the parliamentary permission for this absorption), the Corporation was required to construct a footbridge between Caversham and De Bohun Road in Reading. The following year the Corporation successfully obtained permission to replace this proposed footbridge with a wider road bridge. In 2015 the bridge was complemented by the opening of the
Christchurch Bridge, a pedestrian and cycle bridge situated some upstream. == See also ==