Many have heard the rhyme “London Bridge is Falling Down,” and many know that the current London Bridge was not the original. However, did you know that a bridge that used to be in London actually took a trip overseas, and now resides on a completely different body of water?
What Was the First London Bridge?
Before we talk about the London Bridge, we need to figure out which one we are talking about. So just how many bridges of London have there been? While there are currently over 30 bridges in the city of London, the famous London Bridge is on its third iterations. The one that is no longer in London is actually bridge number two.
The nursery rhyme, “London Bridge is Falling Down” isn’t entirely correct. It never truly fell or collapsed, although it does keep getting rebuilt and, in some cases, replaced due to current needs.
The first London Bridge, known as Old London Bridge, lasted from 1209-1831. It was smaller, and certainly not the towering structure we are familiar with today. It was a little over 900 feet long. The Great Fire of London partially destroyed the bridge and buildings that were constructed on the bridge.
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It was eventually decided that a new bridge would need to be created. There was a competition to find a new design. Thomas Telford was the winner, however after his bridge would require the requisition of more property owned by others a second pick was chosen, by John Rennie. Construction began before the old bridge was demolished so it was still usable. Work began in 1824 with the first stone laid in June of 1825.
What Happened to the Second London Bridge?
The bridge was built to the west of the old bridge. It was 928 feet long and almost 50 feet wide. Construction was finished in 1831, just six years after the first stone was laid. Unfortunately, the designer Rennie died before the bridge had even begun to get built and had to be taken over by his sons George Rennie and John Rennie, Jr. Queen Adelaide and King William IV helped to celebrate the bridge opening up to the public.
While the nursery rhyme certainly talks about fixing up the bridge and the fact that the London Bridge did become broken down several times, the rhyme is earlier than the building of the second bridge. The earliest written record of it dates to the 1600s, although it is possible that the rhyme is even earlier than that.
Unlike the former bridge, the “New” London Bridge did not last as long. The reason was because technology and the population was increasing. By 1962 the bridge was starting to sink into the ground. It could no longer handle the amount of traffic on it. With the safety of the bridge in question they had to decide what to do. Instead of just tearing it down, they sold it for over one million pounds in 1968. But who would want to purchase a bridge and why?
Where is the Second London Bridge Now?
The bridge is now in its official home in Arizona, US. Robert Paxton McCulloch was an entrepreneur born in Missouri. While he was an enterprising young man, he did not obtain wealth by himself, but through his grandfather John Beggs who gave his fortune to his three grandchildren after his passing.
Lake Havasu City is a town in Arizona, with a population of about 57,144 according to a 2020 census. It was created by McCulloch after the gentleman purchased the acres for it in 1958. This city would probably have been unremarkable if Lake Havasu City wasn’t the site chosen by McCulloch for the London Bridge after he purchased it in an effort to boost tourism. He had been searching for a unique attraction to the city.
It cost almost three times more to move the disassembled bridge piece by piece and ship it to Arizona to be reconstructed, and took three years to finish. The bridge now crosses the Bridgewater Channel. In order for it to fit properly and be exactly the same, each individual stone was numbered to indicate where it would be in the build.
What About the Current London Bridge?
The newest London Bridge was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1973, designed by Harold Knox King with Mott, Hay & Anderson and William Holford & Partners architects. While not as grand looking as the more well known Tower Bridge, or one of the longest bridges, it is still an important point of commute for the city, and it has arched structures the under the bridge like its predecessors. Running across the River Thames, it connects Southwark and the City of London, and today, the London Bridge and Tower Bridge, among several others, are managed by Bridge House Estates.
