Today we think nothing of crossing the Thames. It’s easy: between central London’s most recognisable bridge – Tower Bridge – to the filagree elegance of its most beautiful – Albert Bridge – we can hop from the north to the south bank of the river using one of 22 different bridges or tunnels; more if you count the ferries. 275 years ago, if you were a resident of the historic city of London or its adjacent neighbours in Westminster, Lambeth or Southwark, you only had one choice if you didn’t wish to use a ferry: the mighty London Bridge.
London’s origins can be traced back to its favourable position as a crossing point on the River Thames, so its longest-surviving and most important bridge is an excellent place to start a series which explores the city’s historic monuments and buildings. What do we know about this icon that remained historic London’s only bridge until 1750, when Westminster Bridge opened? First, it was built under the direction of Peter of Colechurch (also known as the Bridge Master), rector of a church on the north bank. It was a little to the west of a succession of earlier wooden bridges which had spanned the Thames since Roman times. Completed in 1209, four years after Peter’s death, the new bridge, the first to be built in stone, connected Fish Street Hill to the north of the river, with the south bank just to the east of a priory that was later to become Southwark Cathedral.
This was more than just a means to cross the Thames. Built on 19 stone arches and stretching almost 300m long and 12m wide, it was home to 500 people. The sides were lined with over 130 shops, with living and administrative accommodation above, leaving a narrow 4m carriageway for those making their way over the river. These houses were repaired and rebuilt over the centuries with many over five storeys high at times completely closing in over the road below.
Peter the Bridge Master never saw his new crossing completed, but ironically it became his last resting place – he was buried in the vault of St Thomas, a small two-storey chapel located halfway along the bridge, dedicated to the Saint Thomas Beckett, who had been martyred 30 years previously.
Towers and gates marked either end of the bridge, with further fortification close to the middle, where a drawbridge was constructed to allow taller ships to pass through. The gate on the Southwark side was gruesomely announced by an array of tall poles which displayed the heads of those who had offended the Crown, including William Wallace, Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell.
Also to the south was the Bear Inn and Bridge House, the latter being the administrative offices of the officials who would collect rent from the shopkeepers and tolls from the ships travelling along the Thames. At its peak it is estimated that around 2,000 vessels passed under it. Rents were the main income for the bridge, and were regularly purloined by the Crown, hence there was always a struggle with maintenance. The river did not help… through its array of narrow arches and protective riverworks, the bridge effectively squeezed the Thames into a quarter of its normal width. At times of high tide or flood the bridge acted as a dam, with a drop of almost 2m between its west and east sides. Brave or foolish Londoners might seek to ‘shoot the bridge’ in boats during these times. The same constraints also slowed the river, allowing it to freeze on the coldest of years – Frost Fairs were famously held on the ice which formed upstream.
On northern side, during the 17th century, waterwheels were positioned in the first, second and fourth arches to benefit from the tidal flow of the Thames. These helped raise water from the river to great tanks which then supplied neighbourhoods in the city.
By the mid-18th Century London’s only bridge – congested and expensive to maintain – was no longer fit for purpose. As the city and its suburbs expanded, so too did the demand for more river crossings. In 1749, much to the opposition of the water boatmen, a new bridge was added at Westminster, designed by Charles Labelye a Swiss engineer. Labelye was also charged with improving London Bridge, which he did by clearing all the buildings, effectively widening the carriageway from 4m to 14m. Further improvements, such as joining the two central arches to create a wider single arch, turned out not to be improvements after all, causing regular costly maintenance as the riverbed altered. Eventually in 1832 the old bridge was demolished to be replaced by John Rennie’s new London Bridge.
London’s iconic bridge had been in use for 622 years. Its successor lasted only 137, being replaced by the current London Bridge in 1973 after Rennie’s structure increasingly suffered from the huge weight of passing traffic and was gradually sinking into the Thames. Both former London Bridges are immortalised in pictures, illustrations and photographs, fragments of each also survive. Parts of London’s oldest stone bridge have been reused in the tower of nearby at St Magnus the Martyr’s Church, whilst its alcoves and balustrades have spread as far afield as St Guy’s Hospital, Victoria Park and Richmond. These are nothing compared to the distances travelled by Rennie’s Victorian replacement, which can be found over 2222 miles away in Arizona… the structure was sold to a Missourian entrepreneur in 1967, who had its facades delivered stone-by-stone to the USA.
So, next time you are strolling across the Millennium Bridge or enjoying the view from the No44 bus of the Royal Hospital over Chelsea Bridge, spare a thought for the medieval commuter and their rather more limited choice of crossing.
John Darlington is Director of Projects for World Monuments Fund, 9 Jan 2024
