Did you know there are 35 bridges which cross over the River Thames in London? So that means there are 35 different perspectives from which to view this great city. Simran Kohli, DLD’s very own gephyrophile (a lover of bridges) goes in search of London's bridges, past and present.
Wordsworth’s bridge: Old Westminster Bridge
Built between 1739 - 1750
Private capital, lotteries and grants financed the building of the bridge
When the Old Westminster Bridge started to subside it was replaced a new bridge
Old Westminster Bridge was the bridge on which William Wordsworth wrote his famous poem ‘Composed upon Westminster Bridge’ in 1802
Bridge leading to DLD College: Westminster Bridge
It opened on Queen Victoria’s birthday 24th May 1862
Links Westminster on the north bank to Lambeth on the south bank
There are seven elliptical iron arches supported by piers consisting of 30-ton granite blocks
It was repainted in green to match the House of Commons colour scheme
There are seven wrought iron arches with Gothic detailing from Charles Barry, the man who designed the Houses of Parliament
Although it is the new Westminster Bridge, it is in fact the oldest road bridge that crosses the Thames in Central London
Wartime Bridge: the New Waterloo Bridge
The bridge was opened in 1942 in the midst of the Second World War
Named after the Duke of Wellington’s great victory over Napoleon 1815
First reinforced concrete bridge to cross the Thames in central London
Known as the “Ladies’ Bridge” it was mainly female labour that built it
The subject of a great pop song, The Kinks’ “Waterloo Sunset”
Destroyed by pragmatists: Old Waterloo Bridge
Opened on the 18th of June 1817 which was two years after the Battle of Waterloo. It was pulled down in 1934.
Originally named Strand Bridge Company but renamed Waterloo Bridge after an Act of Parliament in 1816.
Pragmatists wanted to build a new bridge which would be fit for modern traffic conditions
Romantics wanted to preserve the old Waterloo Bridge because of its historical as well as cultural value. The pragmatists won!
However, two great artists immortalized Old Waterloo Bridge in their work. John Constable painted it in 1832 and Claude Monet in 1903.
Romantic Bridge: Albert Bridge
Albert Bridge was designed and built in 1873.
The bridge was nicknamed 'The Trembling Lady' because of its tendency to vibrate when large numbers of people walked over it.
Albert Bridge is one of only two Thames road bridges in central London which has never been replaced.
Albert Bridge has a high-visibility colour scheme so that shipping doesn’t crash into it
Albert Bridge has appeared in a number of films: Clockwork Orange, Absolute Beginners and Sliding Doors. It is also the subject of The Pogues’ song, 'Misty Morning, Albert Bridge’
Wobbly Bridge: Millennium Bridge
This steel suspension bridge for pedestrians was opened on the 10th June 2000
It was designed by the great architect Norman Foster
It featured on a first-class stamp in 2000
When the bridge was opened it was nicknamed the “Wobbly Bridge” because when pedestrians first walked across it there was a distinct wobble.
There are up to 400 pieces of tiny art embedded in the bridge.
The highpoint is the stunning vista of St Paul’s you get when you stand in the middle of the bridge and look northwards.
Gateway to London: Tower Bridge
Construction started in 1886 and when on until 1894
Five companies and 432 workers worked on the bridge construction
The Victorian Gothic style has made it a much-loved London landmark
The bridge was opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales officially on the 30th of June 1894
Bridge that Never was: Garden Bridge
£53m was spent on the bridge before the project was finally abandoned.
The bridge would have been 366 metres in length.
The proposed bridge would have had a full-length garden situated on it
The bridge was designed by Thomas Heatherwick
And finally – this is one of my favorite bridges but it is not in London. It is the famous Anichkov Bridge in St Peterburg with its famous horse statues. These photos are courtesy of Ekaterina Monakhova for whom St Peterburg is home.
