Painshill's Chinese Bridge in Cobham, shut in March 2023 when engineers found severe structural problems, has been rebuilt and reopened by Alan Titchmarsh.

The Chinese Bridge at Painshill in Cobham is open again. It had been shut since March 2023, when engineers found severe structural problems. The replacement was officially opened in September by the gardener and broadcaster Alan Titchmarsh, who is the Painshill Park Trust’s patron.

The white timber bridge crosses the Serpentine Lake to Grotto Island, home of the Crystal Grotto. Visitors can once again walk the route Charles Hamilton laid out for the garden in the 18th century.

Why it closed

The trust said in a February 2024 appeal that a routine inspection by civil engineers in March 2023 had found “severe structural issues”. The bridge had to close straight away. Divers and engineers then looked at it again, and concluded it had to be replaced.

The bridge had last been restored in the 1980s, when the then Prince Charles opened it. After 40 years, the trust said, its supporting pillars had become unstable.

How it was paid for and built

The trust set out to raise £250,000. By February 2025 its project page said more than £165,000 had come in, enough to start work. The trust has not published a final cost.

The work, as the trust described it in its updates:

  • March 2023: the bridge closed, and a floating pontoon was laid across the lake so visitors could still reach Grotto Island
  • February 2025: the pontoon was removed and the Chinese Bridge peninsula closed. Visitors reached the Grotto by the Woollett Bridge instead
  • August 2025: six of the eight caissons that form the new foundations were in, filled and capped. The spans were trial-assembled off site, treated and painted, then lifted in as large sections
  • September 2026: the bridge was reopened

The trust says the new bridge “faithfully reflects the historic design while incorporating modern engineering to ensure its longevity”. The first version was built in 1760.

Alan Titchmarsh, in a blue jacket, talking with guests inside Painshill's Crystal Grotto at the reopening of the Chinese Bridge
Alan Titchmarsh with guests inside the Crystal Grotto at the reopening. Photo: Arthur Clack, via Painshill Park Trust.

The opening

The trust said trustees, donors, volunteers and local councillors gathered by the lake for the ceremony. Titchmarsh spoke about why historic gardens should be preserved, then declared the bridge open. Guests crossed to Grotto Island, “recreating the journey that Charles Hamilton intended”.

The bridge is among Painshill’s best-known sights. The trust’s appeal noted that it appeared in the first series of Netflix’s Bridgerton and in the BBC’s ChuckleVision.

What it means for you

  • You can cross to the Crystal Grotto by the Chinese Bridge again, rather than the long way round by the Woollett Bridge.
  • Painshill is open 10am to 4pm, last entry 3pm, according to its opening times page on 24 October.
  • The Crystal Grotto is closed on Mondays for maintenance, except bank holiday Mondays.

Ticket prices, winter days and the Christmas events nearby are on our Painshill winter opening page. More ideas are in things to do in Elmbridge.

Sources