Notice of riverbank repair works

The College is undertaking these works to fulfil its duty as property owners to maintain safety for everyone on the river, whilst also protecting the beautiful President’s Lodge and the Mathematical Bridge; key Grade I and Grade II listed heritage assets.

This project is focused on long-term preservation and the works identified remain strictly proportionate. Comprising localised above-water masonry repointing with lime mortar, brick replacement using matching reclaimed materials, and submerged scour void filling using Soluform bag-work. The repairs involve no bank alterations, channel widening, or realignments.

Members of the College and wider community may remember that there have been two previous breaks in the river walls near Queens’ in the last 50 years. A stretch of the walls collapsed in 1980 because the foundations had washed away, and more recently, in 2016, part of the wall between the Mathematical Bridge and Silver Street collapsed for the same reason.

This repair program will help to ensure a similar major event does not happen along this stretch of the river wall.

Read more about the 2016 bank collapse

The 20-week programme incorporates measures specifically designed to safeguard navigation and commercial punt operators:

• Works will be carried out entirely from a mobile modular pontoon system. No fixed scaffolding, cofferdams, or river drawdowns will occur, and the navigation channel will remain open for the duration.
• Operations have been scheduled outside peak punt hours to eliminate potential conflict and traffic with commercial punting operations and pleasure craft.
• The conservative repair approach uses colour-matched lime mortars and reclaimed bricks to preserve the authentic appearance and historical integrity of the river walls.

These proactive works follow underwater structural inspections, and form part of the College’s regular planned maintenance to ensure the river walls remain stable and safe for many generations to come.