The 18th century toll bridge people think is a 'joke'

The Swinford Toll Bridge has left Reddit users perplexed

An iconic quirk of the Oxfordshire countryside has left thousands of people online perplexed by its existence.

The Swinford Toll Bridge, on the Oxford Road near Eynsham, has left users of the social media platform Reddit baffled - with one saying they "thought it was a joke".

"I assumed it was just one of our quaint British anachronisms and a bit of fun for the two old geezers in the booth but no, they were there for the 5p and it was cash only no exceptions," they said.

The post received more than 9,000 upvotes from users, alongside more than a thousand comments from mostly-clueless users.

Most questioned the bridge's existence, with many particularly focusing on its 5p fee - with one pointing out that the national economic situation had rendered the low-value coin rather scarce.

The 5p fee can only be altered by an Act of Parliament

But the history of the Swinford Toll Bridge long precedes the introduction of the 5p, by just a couple of centuries.

It was built across the River Thames just past Eynsham in 1769, and is governed by its own Act of Parliament.

The bridge was initially constructed to replace a ferry service that had operated since the 13th century, after the then Earl of Abingdon acquired the ferry and land on either side of the river.

A 1767 Act of Parliament granted private ownership of the bridge and its tolls to the Earl of Abingdon and "to his heirs and assignees for ever".

The act also means the site's owner is exempt from paying income tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax or VAT on the bridge.

Fees to cross the bridge have always been a hot topic of discussion, with an attempt to raise the fee to 10p during the 1980s scuppered by the High Court.

Its current 5p fee can only be changed by passing another Act of Parliament.

In 2010, the bridge - along with its accompanying cottage - was purchased by its current owner for £1.8m.

The privately owned bridge is estimated to earn about £190,000 every year.

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