Representatives from three local councils came together last week to celebrate the naming of an award-winning footbridge over the Thames.
The elegant river crossing has been christened 'Taplow Bridge' following a competition that inspired more than 100 entries from local people and groups.
Three councillors - George Sandy from South Bucks District Council, Jamie Barnard of Taplow Parish Council and Donna Stimson from the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead - officially announced the winning name, which was decided via a public vote.
The 40 metre bridge is part of Berkeley Homes' Taplow Riverside development and was opened to the public last year.
The elegant steel structure connects the town of Maidenhead with Ray Mill Island, where Berkeley has revived 48 acres of derelict private land, creating a new open landscape for the local community.
Designed by bridge specialist Martin Knight of Knights Architecture, with structural engineer COWI, Taplow Bridge has a distinctive shallow arch inspired by Brunel's nearby Maidenhead Bridge. The famous Maidenhead brick railway bridge boasts the widest and flattest arches in the world, and this form is echoed in the slender steel arch structure of its new neighbour.
Taplow Bridge was constructed off-site, then lifted onto a pontoon, floated upriver and installed in a single well-planned operation.
Since coming into use it has become a popular local landmark, winning the 2019 Chilterns Buildings Design Award and the 2019 Structural Steel Design Award, with judges praising the "distinctive, slender structure providing a valuable link between communities and fitting in sensitively with its environment."
Berkeley's Taplow Riverside includes 19 acres of green open space with meadows, picnic areas, a country park, walking trails, riverside walks, viewing platforms and the Roux at Skindles restaurant.
Homes are now on sale. For more information visit www.taplowriverside.co.uk, or to book a visit at the Taplow Riverside Information Centre, Mill Lane, Taplow, Buckinghamshire SL6 0AA, contact taplowriverside@berkeleygroup.co.uk or 01628 586950 . The centre is open daily from 10am - 5pm, with late night opening until 7pm on Thursdays.