Where is London Bridge? Is London Bridge Falling Down?
Updated 2023
First of all, we need to get one thing straight. Although it is commonly believed by millions of people worldwide, the bridge in the photo above is not London Bridge. This is Tower Bridge. It is so-called because it is close to the infamous Tower of London, not because of the two towers on the bridge. If you search for London Bridge online, you will get many photos of Tower Bridge. Tower Bridge was built between 1886 and 1894.
So where is London Bridge? If you said that London Bridge is in London, you would be partly correct. The answer is that there is more than one London Bridge.
Old London Bridge
London Bridge crosses the Thames River in central London. The current bridge is one of many previous London Bridges. The Romans built the first London Bridge almost 2000 years ago. Wooden bridges do not withstand the passage of time too well, and as the bridge wore, it was replaced with a new one. London Bridge was destroyed during a war with the Vikings in 1014, by a tornado in 1016 and a fire in 1136. Each time, it was rebuilt, and all of them named London Bridge. The last of the wooden bridges was built in 1163.
Medieval London Bridge
Finally, a good, strong stone bridge was built. Construction began in 1176 and was completed 33 years later in 1209. If you look closely, you can see a small drawbridge in the centre that allows the passage of tall sailing ships.
There were several fires on the bridge over the years. In 1212, a fire broke out simultaneously on both ends of the bridge, trapping many people in the middle. Other significant fires occurred in 1381 and 1450. A major fire in 1633 destroyed the northern third of the bridge.
Many people lived on the bridge, and there were more than 130 shops. By the 1500s, there were about 200 buildings on the bridge, some up to seven stories high. The buildings overhung the river and the road, creating a dark tunnel through which all traffic had to pass.
Carts, wagons, coaches and pedestrians made for very congested traffic. Crossing the bridge could take up to an hour.
By 1722, congestion had become so bad that the city decreed that traffic into the city should keep to the west side of the bridge, and all traffic going out of the City should keep to the east side. Thus, the practice of traffic in Britain driving on the left began.
There were defensive gatehouses at each end of the bridge. Just outside the gate, displaying heads impaled on a pike took place. William Wallace’s head was the first to appear in 1305. As many as 30 heads were on display at a time, and they were dipped in tar to preserve them. The practice ended in 1660.
London Bridge was the only road crossing of the Thames River in the city until Putney Bridge was built in 1729.
London Bridge is falling down
In its final years, the bridge’s buildings fell into disrepair, and a popular children’s song, “London Bridge is Falling Down,” was written about it.
London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down
London Bridge is falling down
My fair lady
There are a couple of YouTube videos of the song; however, they feature an image of the wrong bridge (The Tower Bridge).
In 1758–62, all houses and shops on the bridge were demolished through an Act of Parliament.
The new London Bridge
Work on a new bridge began in 1824. The old bridge remained in use while the new one was built 100 feet (30 metres) upstream).
The old London Bridge was demolished in 1831. It had been in use for 622 years. Although the buildings were demolished and the road was too narrow, the bridge was still in good condition.
Modern London Bridge
The newest version of London Bridge, a concrete and steel structure, began in 1967 and was opened in 1973. There are currently five bridges across the Thames in London.
Two London Bridges
In 1967, the City of London placed the older London Bridge on the market and began to look for potential buyers. Council member Ivan Luckin had put forward the idea of selling the bridge. Many people thought he was crazy when he suggested that they could sell a bridge to be moved.
On 18 April 1968, London Bridge was sold to Robert McCulloch for US$2,460,000. The bridge was taken apart, and each piece was meticulously numbered. The blocks were shipped overseas through the Panama Canal to California and trucked from Long Beach to Arizona. London Bridge was reconstructed near Lake Havasu, Arizona and opened on 10 October 1971.
But what use is a bridge without water? So, a canal was dug to divert some water under the bridge and create an island to which the bridge gives access.
So now there are two London Bridges, one in London and one in Arizona. I visited the one in Arizona a few years ago. It looks very nice, with palm trees and lush gardens around the approaches. An intriguing and little-known fact is that the lamp posts on the bridge were made from melted-down cannons captured from Napoleon during the Battle of Waterloo.
If you like the stories on My Thatched Hut, subscribe to my newsletter to be notified of new articles.