London Bridge, London, England

Since Roman times a bridge has existed over the River Thames at or near the present location of the London Bridge since approximately 50 AD. In 1799 a competition was held to replace the old bridge, which was over 600 years old.

The bridge was finally replaced by a structure of five stone arches, as pictured below, designed by engineer John Rennie. Construction began in 1824 and the foundation stone was laid on 15 June 1825. King William IV and Queen Adelaide attended the official opening on 1 August 1831.

In 1896, it was estimated that 900 vehicles and 8,000 pedestrians crossed the bridge every hour, making it the busiest point in London. The bridge was widened between 1902 and 1904 by 4 metres in an attempt to combat London's traffic congestion. The widening eventually proved too stressful on the bridge's foundations and it was later discovered that the bridge was sinking over 2 cm every eight years.

In 1967, the Common Council of the City of London placed the bridge on the market for sale. On 18 April 1968, Rennie's London Bridge was sold ro Robert P. McCulloch, an American business man, for US$2,460,000. It is thought that he mistakenly believed he was buying Tower Bridge.

As the bridge was taken apart, each piece was numbered to assist with the assembly of the bridge at Lake Havasu City in Arizona, United States. The reconstruction spans the Bridgewater Channel canal and is the centrepience of an English style theme park. After the Grand Canyon, Rennie's London Bridge has become Arizona's second biggest tourist attraction.

 

The current bridge, built between 1967 and 1972, was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 17 March 1973 and is the latest in a succession of bridges to occupy the spot and claim the name, London Bridge.

London Bridge, London, England
by OldeWorldGifts

Vintage photomechanical print of London Bridge in London, England, which was taken towards the end of the 19th century. The photograph shows people crossing the Thames by horse and cart. Photograph courtesy of LOC (LC-DIG-ppmsc-08569). Visit OldeWorldGifts to see the range of products featuring this vintage photochrom of London Bridge.

Tower Bridge, London, England

In the second half of the 19th century it was determined that another crossing of the Thames River was required. In 1876 a Committee was formed to come up with a solution. The Committee asked for submissions from the public, however it was not until 1884 when a submission from the city architect, Horace Jones, was approved. Interestingly, Horace Jones was also one of the judges.

Construction of Tower Bridge began in 1886 and took eight years to build. It was officially opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales (the future King Edward VII and his wife, Alexandra of Denmark) on 30 June 1894.

Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge. Originally the bascule was operated hydraulically using steam power (from coal burners and water from the river). Today it uses oil and electricity.

Tower Bridge is over referred to wrongly as London Bridge, which is the next bridge upstream. It was referred to as TowerBridge long before its construction began, mainly due to it being located near the Tower of London. After its construction, it kept the name of Tower Bridge, as it is known today.

Tower Bridge I, London, England by OldeWorldGifts

Vintage photomechanical print of the Tower Bridge in London, England, which was taken towards the end of the 19th century. The photograph shows the famous bridge closed to traffic to allow a boat to pass under as it travels along the Thames River. (LOC: LC-DIG-ppmsc-08567).

Visit OldeWorldGifts to see the range of products featuring this vintage photomechanical print of Tower Bridge.