In 2003 while researching a book about the station, Steven Brindle, Inspector of Ancient Monuments for English Heritage (London region), discovered that Isambard Kingdom Brunel was responsible for the original Bishop's Bridge,[1] and that the section he built over the canal was his first iron bridge and had a unique design.

Investigations determined that the canal section of Brunel's 1839 bridge had survived, as rebuilding work in 1906 had merely obscured it and caused it to be forgotten.

Negotiations between the council and English Heritage followed, and it was agreed that the 1839 iron bridge would be dismantled with a view to future reconstruction.

An application for planning permission to reconstruct the original iron bridge 200 yards (180 m) along the canal was submitted in April 2006.

However, this has lapsed, and the dismantled bridge remains in storage in the care of Historic England at Fort Cumberland, near Portsmouth.