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All the United Kingdom England London Remains of the Old London Bridge

Remains of the Old London Bridge

Only a few pieces remain of the structure that carried people and goods across the Thames for some 600 years.

London, England

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Gavin
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Pathway through St Magnus   Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net) / CC-BY-SA-4.0
Pathway through St Magnus   Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net) / CC-BY-SA-4.0
Old pedestrian entrance to the medieval London Bridge   Gavin / Atlas Obscura User
Sign at church   Gavin / Atlas Obscura User
Old pedestrian entrance to the medieval London Bridge   Gavin / Atlas Obscura User
Plaque on piece of an old Roman wharf timber dating from AD 75   Gavin / Atlas Obscura User
Large scale model of the medieval London Bridge inside the church   Gavin / Atlas Obscura User
Part of the model of the medieval London Bridge inside the church   Gavin / Atlas Obscura User
An 1832 illustration of the demolition of Old London Bridge   Yale Center for British Art
Piece of an old Roman wharf dating from AD 75   Gavin / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Little remains of the medieval London bridge, save for a few artifacts and the pedestrian entrance that forms part of St. Magnus the Martyr church in London. Once the key crossing point of the Thames River, the bridge was built in 1209 to replace the original Roman crossing built in 50. It remained in use for over 600 years, before being demolished in the 19th century to provide access for river traffic.

The most famous and longstanding of London's Thames river bridges, the old London Bridge also featured shops, houses, churches, and a gatehouse. It was an iconic feature of the City of London ferrying people, goods, and livestock across the river.

By the early 19th century, the bridge was showing signs of serious wear. Even with the buildings removed, the crossing was still far too narrow to accommodate the needs of a growing city population. Additionally, the small arches that supported the bridge restricted the river traffic of ships passing underneath.

It was decided in 1799 that a new, larger bridge should be built. The new bridge was built 30 meters upstream of the old crossing, allowing use of the medieval bridge to continue until its replacement opened in 1831. With the new structure in place, the old bridge was demolished, with only a few items associated with it remaining.

The former bridge pedestrian entrance, which is built into the tower of St. Magnus the Marytr Church on Lower Thames Street, still remains. In the church courtyard, you can find some large carved stones that are remains of the Bridge from the northernmost arch. Within the tower’s archway is a large piece of timber from an old Roman wharf dating from 75. This was found on the nearby Fish Street Hill in 1931. Inside the church is a recently refurbished model of the historic London Bridge.

Stones salvaged from the bridge were used in other structures, and several of the 14 pedestrian alcoves were also relocated to other locations, including the eastern end of Victoria Park and the courtyard of Guy's Hospital.

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Infrastructure Medieval Churches Bridges

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The archway and courtyard can be viewed at any time from the footpath at 3 Lower Thames Street. The plaque is directly on the left inside the wrought iron gates. 

St. Magnus the Martyr Parish Church also offers a virtual tour of the courtyard.

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Gavin

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jooniur, SEANETTA, Michelle Cassidy

  • jooniur
  • SEANETTA
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

December 2, 2022

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  • https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Remains-of-the-old-London-Bridge/
Remains of the Old London Bridge
Lower Thames St
London, England, EC3R 6DN
United Kingdom
51.509362, -0.086392
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