In this episode of Danny Hurst´s Unusual Histories Bridge Series, you are getting the inside track on the history of two instead of just one bridge. It is the turn of the Kew Railway Bridge and Kew Bridge and some of the iconic features in the surrounding area. He shares the connection between the TARDIS, anti-tank guns, botanical gardens, the Doomsday Book, a hippy encampment, silent movies, Banksy, Turner and much more.

If you can´t get enough of these podcasts, head to https://www.patreon.com/DannyHurst to access my exclusive, member-only, fun-filled, and fact-packed history-related videos.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The first bridge on the site was built in 1759.

• Kew Railway Bridge has a strong Doctor Who connection.

• There are 4 medieval villages in the area.

• Nearby Kew Gardens are the largest botanical gardens in the world.

• Oliver´s Island was named after Oliver Cromwell. Danny explains why this is actually an example of misnaming.

• Oliver´s Island sits in the middle of The Thames near Kew. It is a haven for birds including herons and cormorants.

• In 1983, both bridges became grade II listed.

BEST MOMENTS

“Kew Railway Bridge is one of those Marmite bridges. Meaning, for non-British listeners, people either love it or hate it.”

“Justice just can't be done in this podcast in describing Kew Gardens. They have to be seen.”

“It was often damaged by barges.”

“The bridge was sold at auction.”

“Banksy famously painted his mountain goat mural just near the southern end of the bridge.”

EPISODE RESOURCES

https://www.citybridgefoundation.org.uk

Oliver´s Island - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver%27s_Island

HOST BIO

Historian, performer, and mentor Danny Hurst has been engaging audiences for many years, whether as a lecturer, stand-up comic or intervention teacher with young offenders and excluded secondary students. Having worked with some of the most difficult people in the UK, he is a natural storyteller and entertainer, whilst purveying the most fascinating information that you didn't know you didn't know. A writer and host of pub quizzes across London, he has travelled extensively and speaks several languages. He has been a consultant for exhibitions at the Imperial War Museum and Natural History Museum in London as well as presenting accelerated learning seminars across the UK. With a wide range of knowledge ranging from motor mechanics to opera to breeding carnivorous plants, he believes learning is the most effective when it's fun. Uniquely delivered, this is history without the boring bits, told the way only Danny Hurst can.

CONTACT AND SOCIALS

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