Hertford Bridge (Bridge of Sighs), Oxford. Exterior visible at all times, interior not open to the public. Admission free.

Details

Accessibility:

Parking is extremely limited near to the bridge but there are car parks within Oxford city centre. Detailed information on all of these car parks and their current Blue Badge concessions can be found here: https://www.oxford.gov.uk/directory/8/car_parks_in_oxford/category/53/categoryInfo/10

The following public toilets have disability facilities: Market Street Public Toilets (SP513063); Gloucester Green Public Toilets (SP510063); Oxpens Public Toilets (SP507058). There are also other public toilets in the town centre, but they do not have disability facilities.

The exterior of the bridge is viewable from ground level on New College Lane, which is flat and level with good pavements. There is no access for the public to the interior of the bridge.

Oxford city has a Shopmobility service which is accessed from within the car park for the Westgate shopping centre (OX1 1TR). The car park itself has 50 disability parking spaces, which are located close to the lobby area. Scooters and wheelchairs can be hired free of charge from the Shopmobility office, which can be booked over the telephone on 01865 263600 (Mon-Fri: 8am-5pm). Further information can be requested via email: westgate.oxford@landsec.com.

Brief Description:

The Grade II listed Hertford Bridge, nicknamed the Bridge of Sighs after its resemblance to a similar bridge in Venice, links the Old and New Quadrangles of Hertford College over New College Lane.

Further Information:

Address:

Bridge of Sighs, New College Lane, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1 3BL 

Telephone:

Hertford College Porter’s Lodge: 01865 279400 

Email:

Hertford College Porter’s Lodge: porters@hertford.ox.ac.uk

Website:

Hertford College web site: https://www.hertford.ox.ac.uk/

Opening Hours:

Exterior visible at all times. Admission free. Interior not open to the public. 

Directions:

The bridge is in the centre of Oxford and can be tricky to get to by car. From the M40 J8a take the A40 west towards Oxford for 5 miles. At the roundabout continue straight to take the London Road/A420 for a further 2.5 miles. At the roundabout, take the 4th exit (past the pillared monument in the middle of the road) onto The Plain/A420 for around 400 metres/yards then turn right onto Longwall Street. Longwall Street turns slightly right and becomes St Cross Road. Turn left onto South Parks Road then, at the T-junction, turn left again onto Parks Road and continue onto Catte Street. Turn left onto New College Lane and the bridge spans the road a few metres/yards in front of you.

OS SP 51611 06464

Transport:

Oxford is a very old city and travelling by car can be a problem. However, there is an excellent pubic transport system, which you can find further details of here: http://www.oxfordcityguide.com/oxford-tourist-information/getting-around-oxford

There are six Park & Ride sites located around Oxford's ring road; Bicester, Oxford Parkway and Pear Tree to the North, Thornhill to the East, Redbridge to the South and Seacourt to the West. The parking and bus into town are charged separately and there are no concessions for Blue Badge drivers. Each Park & Ride also has EV charge points for electric car drivers. Further details of the locations and charges can be found here: https://www.oxford.gov.uk/directory/8/car_parks_in_oxford/category/56/categoryInfo/13

The main bus services in Oxford are run by the Oxford Bus Company, Stagecoach Oxfordshire and Thames Travel. The services run throughout the city as well as the surrounding villages. Further details can be found on the following websites: https://www.oxfordbus.co.uk/, https://www.stagecoachbus.com/about/oxfordshire and https://www.thames-travel.co.uk/.

Oxford’s main railway station is located on the west side of the city centre with bus stops and taxi ranks just outside. There are frequent services to/from London Paddington, London Marylebone and Birmingham New Street. Details of the station can be found here: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/OXF/details.html. For ticket information you can telephone National Rail on 03457 484 950.

Amenities: