Book Review: Old London Bridge by Patricia Pierce

Standing for more than 600 years, old London Bridge was the longest inhabited stone bridge in Europe, a high street, a processional route, a gateway into the city of London and, for most of its existence, the only bridge across the Thames within the boundaries of the city.

Built by Peter, the priest of St Mary Colechurch on Poultry (who has come down to us as Peter de Colechurch) over 33 years from 1176 to 1209 (although Peter died before its completion) it had at its peak, nearly 500 shops among the many 5 storey buildings that lined its roadway, and a resident population of getting on for 500. It also had a chapel dedicated to Thomas Becket where pilgrims prayed before embarking on their journey to visit the saint’s shrine at Canterbury, numerous strong gates to withstand attack, and a drawbridge. Such was its integration into the city that visitors often had no idea they were on a bridge until they happened to come to one of the few gaps between buildings and saw the Thames surging beneath them.

And surge it did, because the construction of the bridge changed the river. It had 19 arches built on piers which in turn were built upon ‘starlings’, stone platforms that were on the river bed, with elm piles providing their support. This forced the river into a space between ⅓ and ½ of its normal course meaning that at high or low tide there could be 5’ difference or more of the water level on either side of the bridge, making navigation of the arches treacherous. (“Shooting the bridge with even an experienced boatman frequently led to tragedy.)

(This restriction of the river flow is also the reason why the Thames froze in extreme cold weather, the ice becoming so thick that ‘frost fairs’, entertainments and markets from ‘Temple Stairs to the Bridge’, to be held.)

The bridge was the scene of royal processions – for example Henry V’s triumphal entry into the City after Agincourt, when, amongst the banners and other decorations, two huge carved figures were erected “overtopping the walls” of the Great Stone Gate at the Southwark end, and there was also a full on triumph for Charles II as he returned from exile in 1660.

The bridge also saw conflict, such as in 1450 when the rebels led by Jack Cade fought for control of the bridge against the forces loyal to the City and to Henry VI. In 1390 there was even a joust – “a l’outrance” or to the death – when the Champion of Scotland Sir David de Lindsay and the English baron, John de Welles. (The result was Scotland 1, England 0, although de Lindsay showed mercy to his rival and spared his life.)

Like the ship of Theseus though, the bridge was repaired, rebuilt and changed throughout its life. Fires took out many of the buildings in 1212, 1450, 1633 and 1676, five arches collapsed in 1281, and in 1437 the stone gate house collapsed taking the pier it stood on with it. The drawbridge gate (where the heads of the executed were displayed, the Bridge even had an official called ‘keeper of the heads’) was rebuilt in 1388 and then replaced in the reign of Elizabeth I by a grand residence called ‘Nonsuch House’.

Eventually it was decided that the bridge was no longer fit for purpose – the roadway too narrow to allow traffic to move freely, hindering trade, the shops now not the upmarket emporiums of the past. The new Westminster Bridge in 1750 was wider, less congested, less hazardous to the water traffic passing beneath. The cost of a full rebuilt was initially deemed too much, so a compromise saw London Bridge stripped of all the buildings and two of the arches knocked together to form a larger central span. 

These measures proved ineffective however, so in 1823 an “Act of the Rebuilding of London Bridge” is passed through Parliament and a new bridge, by the architect John Rennie, is approved. This is 100’ (about 9.5m) upriver from the old bridge, and once it was ceremoniously opened by William IV on 1 August 1831 the 600 year old bridge was taken down and consigned to history.

(Rennie’s bridge needed to be widened in 1902 and was in turn replaced by the modern, rather bland and unimpressive, concrete and steel version in 1973. The 1831 version lives on though in Lake Havasu City in Arizona, having been bought by entrepreneur and developer Robert McCullough to be a feature of the new town he was building. Rather wonderfully it has a webcam, so you can see it at any time of the day or night.)

Pierce’s history of the bridge is fascinating, fun and with a narrative that zips through. Recommended to anyone who wants to dig deep into the history of this amazing structure.

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