Abingdon Bridge is one of two bridges over the River Thames, separated by an Island. The final extension to completing the Thames crossing is Culham Bridge (see entry) crossing the Swift Ditch. The whole structure was originally built in stone in 1416 (to replace an older one of timber) by a body known later as "The Brotherhood of Christ" (now Christ's Hospital), assisted by the wool and cloth merchants of the town.

It is an extremely graceful structure, well worthy of the skill of the medieval builders. It is some hundreds of metres in length, spanning the Thames and meadows that are often flooded. Henry V is credited with its construction, but he only graciously bestowed his royal licence. In fact these merchants built two bridges, one called Burford Bridge and the other across the ford at Culham. The name Burford has nothing to do with the town of that name but is a corruption of Borough-ford, the town ford at Abingdon.

Much of the original structure remains, although the northern portion, consisting of seven small Gothic arches, has been altered and widened in the past, particularly in 1790. The southern portion consisted of five small Gothic arches and one larger elliptical one for navigation; this part has been reconstructed, and is faced with the old stones in an admirable manner.

The group of eighteenth century houses that stand on the island contribute largely to the charm of the bridge. The headway above normal water-level was 11 feet previous to the rebuilding of the southern portion; the new bridge has headway of 14 feet.