In 1805 the Duke of Buckingham paid for this bridge to be built as he was worried about his friend, the Royal Prince and future King George VI falling into the river if the old bridge collapsed while he was on it!
Along the footpath side of the bridge you can see the crest of the Duke of Buckingham. On the other side of the bridge there is a swan, the symbol of Buckingham.
But why is the swan the symbol? One theory is that Henry II appointed Henry of Essex as Sheriff of Buckingham in 1156. One of the Sheriff’s ancestors had the surname ‘Swein’, which is almost swan. Due to the popularity of wordplay during this time, The Sheriff of Buckingham selected the bird as emblem of Buckinghamshire.
The old bridge to London was known as Sheriff’s Bridge, head there now and find the plaque to find out more.