Plans in place to rebuild Guildford weir bridge that dramatically washed away years ago
Repairs may be finally happening at a much loved section of the River Wey. The Millbrook tumbling bay weir lies right in the centre of Guildford and has been impassable since 2019. Now there are plans to fix the footpath.
Anyone who has walked the River Way from the town centre would have noticed that it is not possible to walk the entire footpath as you head towards Shalford. Instead walkers are diverted away from the river only to rejoin at either the Guildford Rowing Club or the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre.
In 2019 the weir, which dates back to the early 1900s, collapsed during a period of very high water. This left a gaping hole in the path and meant that the National Trust as well as Guildford Borough Council needed to put in an essential temporary repair to make sure that water levels could be maintained and to keep the navigations open to river users.
READ MORE: River Wey towpath closed as walkers warned to ‘keep well away’
The incident happened at around 2.45pm on Saturday (November 2), causing firefighters and police to cordon off the area to the public. Those at the scene told SurreyLive they felt the ground move under their feet with the bridge suddenly collapsing.
However, there may be good news. The National Trust put a plan in place to fix the weir and bring the site back into use.
In 2024 the National Trust tendered and commissioned a feasibility study of Millbrook Weir. When it was drier in the summer, a local specialist engineering firm conducted detailed geotechnical and structural investigations.
With this data, engineers from the National Trust have been able to design a replacement structure which reuses the materials in the current temporary weir as much as possible.
It is believed that there has been a weir on the site since around the 12th century. It would have been put there by mill owners to control the water levels in the pound above in order to power their mill wheels. Today, the weir plays an important role in maintaining water levels along the River Wey.
The National Trust has now secured the funds for the replacement project, which includes both the weir and bridge meaning that the process of repairing it can begin.
The organisation will spend 2025 getting the necessary permissions and agreements. They will need to work with a variety of agencies to ensure that any flood risks posed by conducting this work are mitigated, as well as tendering for the construction phase of the project.
The structure concerned is a fixed crest weir which allows water to tumble over from one level to the next. Anyone who remembers walking over it will still be able to hear the glorious sound of rushing water.
It also contains a set of three sluice gates which can be raised or lowered manually to adjust water levels. These vary at different times of year from a slow trickle in summer to a constant torrent during wetter months, when up to two million litres or water per hour might cascade over the crest.
The National Trust hopes to complete the replacement works over the summer of 2026, however they can not be certain. Work needs to be done in a very narrow 3-month window of opportunity due to water levels. Even a small delay in securing permissions, or a change to the costs, would mean that the project is pushed back.
Speaking on the repairs, a spokesperson for the National Trust said: “We’d like to acknowledge the support of so many people locally who have expressed to us how much the bridge means to them and campaigned wholeheartedly for it to be reinstated. We share their passion for bringing back this much needed part of Guildford’s heritage. We appreciate their patience and hope for their continued support as we lead the next phase of the project, with a more certain future for Millbrook weir and bridge.
“Ensuring equal access to green space, especially in an urban setting like Guildford, is a fundamental aim of the National Trust. We understand the importance of the riverside walks that the Wey Navigation offers to the community of Guildford, and the role that these areas play for wellbeing, socialising, exercise, leisure and enjoying nature.
“Thanks to your ongoing support, we are able to continue our vital conservation work and help to protect these special places.”
Zöe Franklin MP for Guildford said she’d met with the National Trust before Christmas and was “delighted that good news is now public and there’s now a clear timeline for replacement works.”