Lodge names can originate from a variety of sources; some examples are:

• Particular establishments where the majority of founding members have a connection (schools or places of employment etc.)
• Particular professions where the majority of founding members have a connection (Military regiments, judiciary, medicine)
• Take the name of a famous person with local connections
• A local and well known feature in the immediate area

Marlow Bridge Lodge is no different, the name of our Lodge and the design which appears on the Lodge banner were decided on and chosen by the founders for the simple reason that it is taken from one of the most spectacular and well known landmarks in the Marlow area.

There has been a bridge on the site since the reign of King Edward III which was stated in around 1530 to have been of timber, though an original crossing to the Knights Templar of Bisham may date from 1309.

In 1642 this bridge was partly destroyed by a Parliamentarian army. In 1789 a new timber bridge was built by public subscription with a contribution from the Thames Navigation Commission to increase the headroom underneath The current suspension bridge was designed by William Tierney Clark and was built between 1829 and 1832. It is a Grade 1 listed historical building.

It replaced a wooden bridge further downstream which collapsed in 1828.

The bridge has a wonderful reputation as a beautiful example of a functional piece of civil engineering.

The bridge was such a marvel for its time that it drew visitors from all over Europe.

One such visitor, Count István Széchenyi de Sárvár-Felsővidék was so impressed that he led a project to copy the bridge on a larger scale and in 1849 a new bridge was opened to span the River Danube in Budapest, Hungary. It was the first permanent bridge across the Danube.

Both bridges still attract numerous visitors every year.