London Bridge

Why go

For example: The nursery rhyme "London Bridge Is Falling Down" has been speculatively connected to several of the bridge's historic collapses. Eliot's masterpiece "The Waste Land", wherein he compares the shuffling commuters across London Bridge to the hell-bound souls of Dante's Limbo.

What to look for

• Location The abutments of modern London Bridge rest several metres above natural embankments of gravel, sand and clay.
• Following the Norman conquest of England in 1066, King William I rebuilt the bridge.
• By the Tudor era there were some 200 buildings on the bridge.

The full story

The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1974, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. The current bridge stands at the western end of the Pool of London but is positioned 30 metres upstream from previous alignments. The traditional ends of the medieval bridge were marked by St Magnus-the-Martyr on the northern bank and Southwark Cathedral on the southern shore. Until Putney Bridge opened in 1729, London Bridge was the only road-crossing of the Thames downstream of Kingston-upon-Thames. Its importance has been the subject of popular culture throughout the ages such as in the nursery rhyme "London Bridge Is Falling Down" and its inclusion within art and literature. The modern bridge is owned and maintained by Bridge House Estates, an independent charity overseen by the City of London Corporation.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.