Getting to the river

A ferryman transporting children on the river at Tumbling Bay. 1960s. © Oxfordshire History Centre.

Bathers arrived using footpaths, roads, bridges and via ferries at Tumbling Bay and Long Bridges. Many cycled; at Long Bridges, the bicycles stacked up at the entrance were often ten deep.

In 1945, 82 year-old Henry Sturt gained permission to cross the University Parks to Parson's Pleasure on a tricycle because of physical frailty. Then, as today, cycling in the parks wasn't normally allowed.

Swimming at Long Bridges, Donnington and the Thames Backwater. To view the transcript for this audio, click here.

Arriving at Long Bridges. To view the transcript for this audio, click here.

The way we access the river has changed and continues to do so. Listen to the audio to hear Andrew recall the construction of Donnington Bridge and Pat talk about getting to Long Bridges from where her family lived on Cowley Road.