Folly Bridge
Stone river crossing on the Thames, long home to boatyards, steamers and a former toll house.
Location
About this audio guide
At Folly Bridge in Oxford, the guide looks at the boatyard trade that grew up beside the Thames, from two brothers from Wandsworth who took over a yard in 1858 to the local workforce known as Salter's Navy. It asks why the best boats around here carried a foreman's name rather than the owner's, and what happened when Oxford's car factories began competing for the same craftsmen. Best heard standing on the bridge with the iron railings under your hands.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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