Finally, graffiti ‘H’ is removed from our historic bridge

THE “H” graffiti on the side of Henley Bridge has finally been removed.

Contractors hired by Oxfordshire County Council used a hot water pressure washer to remove the black and white “tag” on Thursday last week.

A team of men had to stop with the job half-done when their machine broke down but they returned on Monday to finish the work. The graffiti, which appeared at the Berkshire end of the bridge in May 2022, had been due to be removed in October but the work was postponed by the council due to the high river levels.

Henley Bridge is a Grade I listed crossing built in 1786 so specialists were needed to carry out the cleaning to avoid damaging the stonework.

The pressure washer uses steam to remove the paint and the workmen had to go over the tag multiple times with the machine to draw the paint out of the stone and not damage the face of the blocks behind it.

The workmen said the area that has been cleaned would look different from the rest of the stonework but after a few weeks would blend in.

Henley Mayor Rory Hunt said he was “delighted” that the tag had been removed. He said: “It has been an eyesore on the most iconic structure in our town for far too long.

“The vandal responsible has cost the taxpayer tens of thousands of pounds in officer time and specialist equipment, not to mention the detrimental effect that it has had visually on people visiting our town.

“The removal was about as complicated as it could get. I am frustrated it took this long to be resolved but am delighted that it has been done thoroughly.

“The bridge is in a better condition than it was before, which is a good result for our town and the structure.

“I really hope that vandals find better ways to express their creativity than defacing public structures.”

He added: “I would like to remind people that this was a criminal act and we will continue to engage with the local police.”

Stefan Gawrsyiak, a town and county councillor, said: “I am extremely pleased that the work has been done. It has been a long process trying to get permission. The graffiti was there for well over two years.

“The delay was because this bridge is administratively shared by Wokingham Borough Council and Oxfordshire County Council.

“The county council planning officers had to get agreement from both councils and also Heritage England to do the repairs. They decided that because this was part of lots of repairs to the bridge, they would do it properly.

“They had to seek planning permission to get the arch repairs done and also to get the graffiti removed.

“Then they had to employ a specialist company to remove the paint.

“This work will cost many thousands of pounds and it has always been my view that the removal of the graffiti was an expensive operation and we should pursue the person that did this.”

Cllr Gawrysiak added: “In September there will be more repairs done to the underside of the bridge.

“We have got to get agreement from the Environment Agency and Henley Royal Regatta and help from Hobbs of Henley to find a window to do it properly because it will have to be done from a barge on the river.”

Geoff Luckett, chairman of the Henley Society, a heritage group, said: “I am delighted to see that the graffiti has been removed at long last.

“We have been lobbying for this ever since it appeared, the best part of three years ago. It should have gone a long time ago.

“My only regret is that the perpetrator has not been chased and challenged.”

Repairs to the stonework on the arches of the bridge are scheduled for mid-April to mid-June.