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This article is a text about the bridge in London. For other meanings, see London Bridge (disambiguation). And for the nearby railway station, see London Bridge railway stationLondon Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames, between the City of London and Southwark. It is between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge; it also forms the western end of the Pool of London. London's original bridge made this one of the most famous bridge emplacements in the world.
On the south side of the bridge is Southwark Cathedral and the London Bridge rail station. On the north side is the Monument to the Great Fire of London and Monument tube station.
1 History
A bridge has existed at or near the present site for nearly 2000 years. The first bridge across the Thames in the London area was built by the Romans on the present site around AD 50 and was made of wood. The location was likely chosen as a bridgable spot which still had deepwater access to the sea. The bridge fell into disrepair after the Romans left, but at some point either it was repaired or a replacement constructed. In 1014Events February 14 Pope Benedict VIII recognizes Henry of Bavaria as King of Germany July 29 Battle of Kleidion: Basil II inflicts not only a decisive defeat on the Bulgarian army, but his subsequent savage treatment of 15,000 prisoners reportedly causes it was burned down by King EthelredEthelred II the Unready Rank 15th Ruled March 18, 978- December 25, 1013 and February 2, 1014- April 23, 1016 Predecessor Edward the Martyr Date of Birth 968 Place of Birth Wessex Wives AElfgifu and Emma Buried Old Saint Paul's Cathedral Date of Death Apr in a bid to divide the invading forces of the Dane Svein Haraldsson. This episode reputedly inspired the well-known nursery rhymeA nursery rhyme is a traditional song or poem taught to young children, originally in the nursery. Learning such verse assists in the development of vocabulary, and several examples deal with rudimentary counting skills. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe is an examp London Bridge is falling downLondon Bridge is falling down is a well-known traditional nursery rhyme. Lyrics In its original form (there are several versions), the lyrics are as follows: :London Bridge is falling down, :Falling down, Falling down. London Bridge is falling down, :My f.
1.1 Old London Bridge
The reconstructed bridge was destroyed by a storm in 1091Events Henry, son of William I attempted a coup against his brothers but failed to seize the English throne. The Normans took Sicily from the Islamic rulers. The Islamic Abbadid dynasty ruling in Spain fell when the Almoravides stormed Seville. London Bri and destroyed yet again, this time by fire, in 1136Events Completion of the Saint Denis Basilica in Paris Peter Abelard writes the Historia Calamitatum detailing his relationship with Heloise Births William of Newburgh, British historian and author of the Historia rerum Anglicarum Deaths Leopold III of Au. A stone bridge was begun in 1176Events May 22 Murder attempt by the Hashshashin (Assassins) on Saladin near Aleppo. September 17 Battle of Myriokephalon Births Rastko Nemanjic, serbian prince who will later become the Saint Sava Leopold VI of Austria, the Glorious Deaths Emperor Rokujo although it was not completed until 1209. This was soon colonised by houses, shops and even a chapel built at the centre of the bridge. Contemporary pictures show it crowded with buildings of up to seven storeys in height. It had 19 small arches and a drawbridge with a gatehouse at the southern end. The narrowness of the arches caused ferocious river currents; only the brave or foolhardy attempted to "shoot the bridge", and many were drowned trying to do so.
The southern gatehouse became the scene of one of London's most notorious sights: a display of the severed heads of traitors, impaled on pikes and dipped in tar to preserve them against the elements. The head of William Wallace was the first to appear on the gate, in 1305, starting a tradition that was to continue for another 355 years. Other famous heads on pikes included those of Jack Cade in 1450; Sir Thomas More in 1535; Bishop John Fisher, also in 1535; and Thomas Cromwell in 1540. A German visitor to London in 1598 counted over thirty heads on the bridge. The practice was finally stopped in 1660, following the Restoration of King Charles II.
The buildings on London Bridge created a major fire hazard and served to increase the load on its arches, so it is not surprising that there were several disasters. In 1212 or 1213 a major fire broke out on both ends of the bridge simultaneously, trapping many in the middle and reportedly resulting in 3,000 people being killed. Another major fire broke out in 1633 with half of the bridge being destroyed. By 1722 congestion was becoming so serious that the Lord Mayor decreed that “All carts, coaches and other carriages coming out of Southwark into this City do keep all along the west side of the said bridge: and all carts and coaches going out of the City do keep along the east side of the said bridge”. This is possibly the origin of traffic in Britain driving on the left. Finally, in 1758- 1762, the houses were removed along with the two centre arches, replaced with a single wider span to improve navigation on the river.
