London Bridge

London Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames. It is in central London, and connects the City of London with Southwark. It is between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge.

On the south side of the bridge are Southwark Cathedral and London Bridge station. On the north side are the Monument to the Great Fire of London and Monument tube station.

It was previously the only bridge over the Thames downstream from Kingston until Putney Bridge opened in 1729. The current bridge opened on 17th March 1973 and is the latest in a succession of bridges to occupy the spot and claim the name.

The bridge carries part of the A3 road, which is maintained by the Greater London Authority; the bridge itself is owned and maintained by a charity overseen by the City of London Corporation.

The name London Bridge is often mistakenly applied to Tower Bridge, which is the next bridge downstream.

History

Roman bridge

A bridge has existed at or near the present site over the period from the Roman occupation of the area, nearly 2,000 years ago. The first bridge across the Thames in the London area, probably a military pontoon bridge, was built of wood by the Romans on the present site around 50 AD.

Around 59 AD, a piled bridge was constructed, and the local Britons built a small trading settlement next to it—the town of Londinium. The settlement and the bridge were destroyed in a revolt led by Queen Boudicca in 60 AD. The victory was short-lived, and soon afterwards the Romans defeated the rebels and set about building a new walled town. Some of the 2nd-century Roman wall has survived to this day. The new town and bridge were built around the position of the present bridge, providing access to the south-coast ports via Stane Street (the A3 route) and Watling Street (the A2).

Medieval bridge

The southern gatehouse, the Stone Gateway, became the scene of one of London's most notorious sights: a display of the severed heads of traitors, stuck on pikes and dipped in tar to preserve them. The head of William Wallace was the first to appear on the gate, in 1305, starting a tradition that was to continue for another 355 years. Other famous heads on pikes included those of Jack Cade in 1450, Thomas More in 1535, Bishop John Fisher in the same year, and Thomas Cromwell in 1540. In 1598 a German visitor to London counted over 30 heads on the bridge:

"On the south is a bridge of stone eight hundred feet in length, of wonderful work; it is supported upon twenty piers of square stone, sixty feet high and thirty broad, joined by arches of about twenty feet diameter. The whole is covered on each side with houses so disposed as to have the appearance of a continued street, not at all of a bridge.
Upon this is built a tower, on whose top the heads of such as have been executed for high treason are placed on iron spikes: we counted above thirty".

The practice was finally stopped in 1660.

The mediaeval bridge itself was demolished in 1831.

Modern bridge

Until 1750 when Westminster Bridge was built, London bridge was the only structure crossing the River Thames.

The medieval bridge was replaced in the 19th century. This bridge was sold in 1968,

In 1968, the current bridge was built.

In June 2012, the bridge was highlighted on the of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the Thames.

Related pages

  • List of crossings of the River Thames

Other websites

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

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Finja Kemski
24 January 2016
Come in the morning on a weekday and see the masses walking from London Bridge train station towards the city.... It is insane. There is also a quote written on the pavement, discover!
E K K
4 March 2016
The real London Bridge always seem to have more human traffic in the early morning rush and the end of day stampede. Here's where to feel get a sense of the city's workforce. Plus a good viewpoint.
Jeremy Wilcox
9 March 2015
If you are looking at the large bridge with the two towers and the blue cables, you are at Tower Bridge, NOT London Bridge. A common mistake.
Ahmad Alfilimbany
18 February 2016
One of the best view in the city.. Great walk to the shops and restaurants in the area.
Alex Miroshnik
19 December 2018
Beautiful view. Take a 20-30 min and walk around in the evening, great view on The Canary Warf and Tower Bridge.
HISTORY UK
17 January 2011
London Bridge was once crowded with buildings and prone to fires. It survived the 1666 Great Fire because an earlier fire had destroyed houses at the north end, creating a fire break!
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