The bridge was built in 1936 on the site of the last flash lock on the river which was in a weir known as Hart's Weir. The weir and lock, the last remaining on the Thames, were removed that year leaving the mooring cuts which are still in use. There was a lock keeper at the weir and a walkway across which is the precedent for the current bridge. The flash lock was notoriously difficult and Thacker quoted Henry Taunt: "I recollect one winter in passing this very weir, when lying on my back in the boat to get through, scraping a fair amount of skin off my nose and face though contact with the bridge whilst going under it."[1]
