1838 4th June
Great Western Railway
The first public section of the Great Western Railway opens between Paddington and Maidenhead.
Brunel engineering · permanent subject timeline
Maidenhead Railway Bridge
The low, wide brick arches carrying the Great Western Railway over the Thames. This page combines historical context with 6 matching records drawn directly from the World History Database Brunel chronology.
Historical context
Maidenhead Railway Bridge: overview and significance
What happened?
Brunel designed Maidenhead Railway Bridge to carry the Great Western main line across the River Thames. Its broad, shallow brick arches appeared exceptionally flat to contemporary observers.
Why was it important?
The bridge became an example of Brunel's willingness to push traditional masonry construction. It combined structural economy with the need to preserve a gentle railway gradient.
World History Database records
Maidenhead Railway Bridge timeline
The records below are selected from the 361-record Brunel chronology and are rendered as static HTML in chronological order.
1838
1838 4th June
Paddington Station
The first temporary Great Western Railway terminus at Paddington opens for services between London and Maidenhead.
1838
Early GWR Broad-Gauge Operations Begin
The first working section of the Great Western Railway demonstrates Brunel's broad-gauge track and early bridge designs.
1838
Early GWR Overbridge
The bridge forms part of Brunel's first London-to-Maidenhead contracts.
1838
Maidenhead Railway Bridge
Construction of Brunel's low-arched brick railway bridge across the Thames is completed.
1839
1839 1st July
Maidenhead Railway Bridge
Maidenhead Railway Bridge opens to traffic and vindicates Brunel's unusually flat arch design.
Editorial provenance
Sources and editorial review
Compiled and edited by World History Database
Historical context is editorial material; the chronology is generated from World History Database Brunel records.
Last reviewed: September 2026.
Brunel Museum · Brunel's SS Great Britain · Science Museum Group Collection
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