Motley Talk & Walk over London Bridges pt 1
A closer look at six bridges in central London, and their stories. This is a walk through the heart of London, beside the River Thames.
Dear friends, as I mentioned in my last post, the River Thames used to be the main transport link for London, bringing trade and treasure to the city. After many centuries with only one bridge (the aptly named London Bridge), there are now 11 bridges in central London.
To see the city and bridges as Londoners have done for centuries, take a boat. There are tourist boats including the Thames Clippers, also used by commuters. Or you can take a virtual cruise by using Google maps. If you would rather walk, there are paths along most of the riverbank, and it would make an interesting day out. By Waterloo Bridge is the South Bank with lots of eating places for lunch (and you could go on the London Eye). Starting from Pimlico tube station, the bridges in central London are in the following order:
Vauxhall Bridge opened in 1906, replacing an older bridge. It was intended that the bridge be built in stone but there were insufficient funds, so Vauxhall Bridge became the first Thames bridge to be built in iron. In September 1844 a large crowd gathered on the bridge to watch Mister Barry a circus clown, sail from Vauxhall Bridge to Westminster Bridge in a washtub towed by geese. It was a trick of course, the tub was pulled by a rowboat attached by an underwater line, (though I don’t know how they controlled the geese!).
Lambeth Bridge opened in 1932. This also replaced an earlier bridge, which in turn replaced a horse ferry, first mentioned in 1513. A horse ferry was a low bottomed boat with enough flat space on top for a coach and horses (who remained attached to the coach, which made for a faster crossing). Men then used poles to move the ferry across the river, which was probably dangerous and only possible at low tide. Horseferry Road nearby is the only reminder of the ferry. The picture shows the ferry, with a coach and horses. No, I have no idea what the naked men in the foreground are up to, it is never warm enough to swim in the Thames.
Between Lambeth Bridge and Westminster Bridge (the next bridge), are the Houses of Parliament. There are two chambers in Parliament, the House of Commons (whose seats are in covered in green leather) and the House of Lords (whose seats are in covered in red leather). So, Lambeth Bridge is painted red and Westminster Bridge is painted green.
Westminster Bridge opened in 1862. Great views of London can be seen from the bridges, though nobody can express the view of London more eloquently than William Wordsworth. In the early hours of the morning, just after dawn, Wordsworth crossed Westminster Bridge in a coach on his way to Dover, then France. As he crossed the bridge he wrote a sonnet. It is called, Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802
Earth has not anything to show more fair: Dull would he be of soul who could pass by A sight so touching in its majesty: This City now doth, like a garment, wear The beauty of the morning; silent, bare, Ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples lie Open unto the fields, and to the sky; All bright and glittering in the smokeless air. Never did sun more beautifully steep In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill; Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep! The river glideth at his own sweet will: Dear God! The very houses seem asleep; And all that mighty heart is lying still!
Mind you he was quick as the bridge is only 252 metres long!
Hungerford Bridge opened in 1864. The railway bridge is named after a produce market that used to be held at Charing Cross, near the present bridge. It in turn was named after the Hungerford family, gentry who owned property nearby including Hungerford market.
Hungerford is a railway bridge but there has always been a pedestrian crossing alongside, though it was narrow and dilapidated. This was replaced by two crossings, one on either side of the bridge, the (Queen Elizabeth II) Jubilee Bridges. Their construction was complicated by the need to keep the railway bridge operating without interruptions. Also, the Bakerloo tube line tunnels are only a few feet under the river bed, and there were potentially unexploded World War II bombs in the Thames mud! In the end foundations were hand-dug for additional security. The pedestrian bridges are lovely and wide with wonderful views up the river to St Paul’s Cathedral.
Claude Monet stayed at the nearby Savoy Hotel, on the 6th floor, and painted this view, including Hungerford Bridge 35 times (at the time it was called Charing Cross Bridge). If you would like to listen to actress Sophie Thompson speaking about the bridge, click here.
Waterloo Bridge was partially opened in 1942, then officially in 1945. This is both a road and a pedestrian bridge. The area commemorates the victory of the British, Dutch and Prussians at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Waterloo Bridge is also known as ‘The Ladies Bridge’.
In the 1930s, with war on the horizon, Waterloo Bridge was of strategic importance. But the bridge was in bad repair and it was decided a new bridge would have to be built. During the war women entered the workforce to replace the men who went into the army, and it is estimated that up to 65% of the construction workers responsible for building the bridge were women. Sadly, the company that hired the bridge workers went into liquidation after the war, and all their records were lost.
Waterloo Bridge is the only Thames bridge to have been badly damaged by German bombers during the Second World War. The bridge was repaired, fully completed and formally opened in 1945.
Blackfriars Bridge is named after the Blackfriars Monastery, a Dominican priory which once stood nearby. It is a road and pedestrian bridge, with a railway bridge adjacent. On the north side of the bridge is a statue of Queen Victoria, who opened the bridge in 1869.
The bridge looks rather plain but if you look over the side, at the top of the Portland stone columns supporting the bridge, there are some lovely carvings by John Birnie Philip. On the east side (the side closest to the Thames Estuary and the North Sea), the carvings show marine life and seabirds; on the west side (closest to the source of the fresh river Thames water) the carvings are of freshwater birds. The carvings reflect the tidal turning point, that can (depending on the tide and volume of river water) be anywhere from this point in the river.
There are five more bridges to explore, that I will write about next week.
London is a very different City with all the bridges in place. We are lucky to have them …