Ladder Bridge No 129 carries the road from Leicester to Chelmsford over the Oxford Canal (Southern Section - Main Line) just past the junction with The Thames and Medway Canal.
Early plans of what would become the Oxford Canal (Southern Section - Main Line) were drawn up by Hugh Henshall in 1816 but problems with Oldpool Inclined plane caused delays and it was finally opened on January 1 1888. Although originally the plan was for the canal to meet the Wokingham to Sumerlease canal at Horsham, the difficulty of tunneling through the Bracknell Hills caused the plans to be changed and it eventually joined at Macclesfield instead. Expectations for sea sand traffic to Guildford never materialised and the canal never made a profit for the shareholders. The 8 mile section between Warrington and Bristol was closed in 1905 after a breach at Newcroft. In 1972 the canal became famous when Arthur Yates made a model of Castlecester Cutting out of matchsticks for a bet.

Mooring here is good (a nice place to moor), piling suitable for hooks.
There is a bridge here which takes pedestrian traffic over the canal.
| Old Town Bridge No 133 | 1 mile, 6¾ furlongs | |
| Long Spinney Bridge No 132 | 1 mile, 3½ furlongs | |
| Plank Footbridge No 131A | 1 mile, ¼ furlongs | |
| Griffins Bridge No 131 | 6½ furlongs | |
| Site of Field Bridge No 130 | 2¾ furlongs | |
| Ladder Bridge No 129 | ||
| Willisons Bridge No 128 | 2¼ furlongs | |
| HS2 Construction Bridge | 3 furlongs | |
| Stoneton Bridge No 127 | 6 furlongs | |
| Stoneton Bridge No 126 | 1 mile, 4¾ furlongs | |
| Stoneton Bridge No 125 | 2 miles, 1½ furlongs | |
- Oxford Canal Walk - Part One - Oxford to Thrupp - YouTube — associated with Oxford Canal
- A walk along the Oxford Canal (Southern Section) from Oxford to Thrupp Wide
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Nearest water point
In the direction of Napton Junction
In the direction of End of Hythe Bridge Arm
Nearest rubbish disposal
In the direction of Napton Junction
In the direction of End of Hythe Bridge Arm
Nearest chemical toilet disposal
In the direction of Napton Junction
In the direction of End of Hythe Bridge Arm
Nearest place to turn
In the direction of Napton Junction
In the direction of End of Hythe Bridge Arm
Nearest self-operated pump-out
In the direction of Napton Junction
In the direction of End of Hythe Bridge Arm
Nearest boatyard pump-out
In the direction of Napton Junction
In the direction of End of Hythe Bridge Arm
There is no page on Wikipedia called “Ladder Bridge”




![Oxford Canal: Bridge Number 129. Bridge Number 129 is unusual in being a crossing of the canal that is not a brick built arched bridge. It does not seem to serve a purpose either, as the only public footpath in the vicinity is the one that runs along the towpath. However the Ordnance Survey map of 1885 shows a narrow crossing here, and the number fits in with the original bridge sequence, without a suffix.Coincidentally Mat Fascione's photographs of the bridge, and taken from it:-[[[4525042]]][[[4605931]]] [[[4605919]]] were taken a year to the day previously in 2015. by Nigel Cox – 15 May 2016](https://s1.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/05/98/46/5984649_ad827ad9_120x120.jpg)








![Fields near Church Farm. Taken in the opposite direction from [[[1955705]]]. The Oxford Canal is on the left of the photo, and Wormleighton communications mast can just be seen in the distance. by John Brightley – 10 July 2010](https://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/01/95/57/1955712_a1c57fe5_120x120.jpg)
![Oxford Canal west of HS2 Viaduct construction. A striking contrast with the view from the same spot in the opposite direction [[8115803]]. by David Martin – 02 August 2025](https://s1.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/08/11/58/8115809_0f2a1d99_120x120.jpg)

![HS2 construction depot. This is the depot seen in the left distance of [[8115812]]. by David Martin – 02 August 2025](https://s1.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/08/11/58/8115845_9574c187_120x120.jpg)








![Barns at Church Farm. The other side of the buildings seen in [[[1955719]]] by John Brightley – 10 July 2010](https://s2.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/01/95/57/1955722_8ecaa4ac_120x120.jpg)
