It is famous for its amazing sights, which can be conditionally divided into groups: palaces, churches, parks, museums, galleries, bridges. All interesting places London cannot be covered in one article, so we will dwell in detail on the history of only one unusual building.

London Bridge is the name of a specific structure that connects the right bank of the Thames and the City, the business district of the city. There have always been bridges on this spot since the founding of London. They successively replaced each other as they were destroyed. The fact that the London Bridge often had to be rebuilt was reflected in the well-known children's song London bridge is fallen, where it is proposed to rebuild it from brick, iron, and in the last verse - from gold. This building was really ready to be restored, using any, even the most expensive materials, because it was the only crossing in the city across the Thames until 1750.

The very first bridge was built by the Romans in the middle of the first century AD. It was wooden, so it was often destroyed during wars, storms and fires. So, in 1014 it was completely destroyed by the Danish conquerors, in 1091 it was demolished by a strong storm, and in 1281 it was destroyed by ice. In fires, he "died" in 1136, 1212 and 1633. Then the Londoners took enhanced fire-fighting measures, so in the ill-fated fire could only destroy a third of the bridge.

Since the London Bridge was intensively built up with houses, moreover, it was the only way to get over from one bank to the other, the traffic on it was extremely intense and difficult. Even traffic jams began to appear. And this is in the 18th century! Therefore, in 1722, a law was passed allowing only the bridge. Actually, it was this decree that laid the foundation for the widespread left-hand traffic on British roads. And the houses that interfered so much with free movement on the bridge were completely demolished in 1760.

London Bridge, in addition to its functional purpose, played an important political and symbolic role in the life of the capital. From the 14th to the 17th century the heads of executed criminals and traitors were exhibited at its South Gate. In particular, this fate befell Thomas More, William Wallace, John Fisher.

Here, fateful historical events unfolded for the country, for example, Charles II went this way when he arrived in London to return the throne of his father in 1660, during the restoration of the Stuart dynasty.

Old London Bridge also influenced general character development a number of houses were built in the immediate vicinity of the bridge, on the north bank of the Thames. And the southern bank was less densely built up, the buildings spread out in a fan shape along the river and to Southwark.

The penultimate construction of the bridge was built around 1830. It was stone, five-arched and served for more than a hundred years, but eventually began to subside. In 1967, they decided to build new bridge, and the old London Bridge should not be demolished, but sold. Those who wanted to buy it were found very quickly. This "world's largest antique" was bought by American oil tycoon Robert McCulloch for $2.5 million. For three years, it was carefully disassembled, numbered and each stone was packed to be sent to the States. There, the building was carefully assembled, and now it has become the main attraction of Lake Havasu City in Arizona, attracting many tourists.

The new London Bridge was built in just a few years. It was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II in 1973. On the first day, about 90 thousand people passed through it. The bridge is made of steel and concrete and in its design looks the most unpretentious of all similar structures in the capital. There are no decorations on it, but it is reliable and has the highest capacity thanks to three lanes in each direction. The sidewalks on it are wide and comfortable for walking, and in winter they are additionally heated so that the cold does not become an obstacle for excursions to this amazing historical place.

tower bridge

In the second half of the 19th century, the increase in commercial development in London's East End led to the need for a new river crossing, just downstream of London Bridge. A traditional fixed bridge could not be built because it would block access to port facilities in the London Basin, between London Bridge and the Tower of London.

A Special Committee for the Bridge and Metro was formed in 1876, under the chairmanship of A. J. Altman, the task of the committee was to find a solution for crossing the river at this point. The committee opened a tender for a project to construct a river crossing. Over 50 designs were submitted, including one from civil engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette. The appraisal of the designs was surrounded by controversy, and it wasn't until 1884 that a design submitted by Horace Jones was approved by the City Architect (who was also one of the judges).

Jones engineer, Sir John Wolfe Barry, developed the idea of ​​an 800-foot movable truss bridge (244 m long) with two towers, each 213 feet (65 m) high, to be located on the pier. The central 200-foot (61 m) gap between the towers was split into two equal movable trusses or sheets that could be raised to an 83-degree angle to allow river traffic to operate as before. The movable trusses, weighing over 1,000 tons each, have been balanced to minimize the force required and allow them to be lifted in five minutes.

The two spans are suspension bridges, each 270 feet (82 m) long, with stop rods anchored both within the boundaries of the bridge, and across the rods contained within the upper walkways of the bridge. Walkways are located 143 feet (44 m) above the river at high tide.

The construction of the bridge began in 1886 and took eight years, during which five main contractors were involved in the construction - Sir John Jackson (base of the bridge), Armstrong Baron (hydraulics), William Webster, Sir H.H. Bartlett, and Sir William Errol - as well as 432 construction workers were involved in the construction. I. W. Crutwell was the resident engineer throughout construction.

Two massive piers containing over 70,000 tons of concrete were sunk into the river bed to support the construction of the bridge. More than 11,000 tons of steel formed the basis for the towers and walkways. The bridge was then "clad" in Cornish granite and Portland stone to protect the underlying steelwork and give the bridge a pleasing appearance.

In 1887 Jones died and George D. Stevenson took over the project. Stevenson replaced Jones' original brick façade with a more ornate Victorian Gothic style that made the bridge a London landmark and was intended to fit in with the nearby Tower of London.

The bridge was officially opened on June 30, 1894 by the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, and his wife, Alexandra of Denmark.

The bridge connected Iron Gate, on the north bank of the river, with Horsleydown Lane, to the south—now known as the Tower Bridge Approach and the Tower Highway, respectively. The total construction cost was £1,184,000.

London Bridge

London Bridge has a rather simple and even, one might say, somewhat ascetic appearance. Its whole appearance is a striking contrast with the interesting and rather rich history of this bridge. The modern London Bridge (there used to be another London bridge) has not been functioning for a very long time. Just something a little more than thirty years. He (modern London Bridge) is the last of a series of bridges that were built and functioned in approximately the same place from very early times. The history of London Bridge dates back to the Roman period. It is noteworthy that all built here in different time the bridges bore the same name "London Bridge". For a long historical period, London Bridge was not only the first (until the 18th century), but the only bridge located in the city of London itself. This is what led to such a simple name. If you climb the bridge and turn to face its northern end, then on the right you can see some of the sights of London. Among them: Tower Bridge, cruiser Belfast, Tower. Ahead of you you can see another London landmark - the Monument to the Great Fire.

Waterloo Bridge is one of the many magnificent bridges built to cross the River Thames. Pedestrian and transport, it is located between the Blackfriar and Gangerford bridges in London.

The history of the building is replete with very curious facts.

The first version of it was designed by John Rennie, and was not very successful. Completed in 1817, by 1878 it required significant repairs. By decision of the government, the bridge was nationalized and handed over to MBW for reconstruction and maintenance. MBW carried out the necessary work and opened it for free use.

However, their efforts to keep the structure in order came to naught after an unsuccessful architectural decision.

Therefore, in the 1920s, the London government decided to destroy the existing bridge and replace it with the design of the architect Sir Gil Gilbert Scott (who won a competition in 1903 for the best design of the Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool).

This time the bridge turned out not only beautiful, but also very functional. Started in 1942, construction was completed in 1945 - in just three years - despite the serious difficulties of the war period.

Millennium Bridge

If you do not take into account the Hungerford footbridges, which at one time were erected to replace the pedestrian galleries that used to exist around the Hungerford railway bridge, then we can say that the Millennium Bridge is the youngest bridge in Central London. This bridge was the first bridge built in central London in a century. The previous bridge was the Tower Bridge.

This bridge has a peculiar design. It is a suspension bridge. The Millennium Bridge has an easily recognizable and memorable appearance. This refers to 2 Y-shaped river supports. Between the tops of these supports and at the same time between them and both banks, there are stretched steel ropes. There are four such ropes on each side. Cross beams are suspended on them, which perform the function of supporting the bridge deck.

Translated from of English language Millennium Bridge means Millennium Bridge. It was erected as a commemoration of the new millennium. It has become a truly large-scale structure, which was built in honor of the celebration of the Millennium. The official name of the Millennium Bridge is the London Millennium Footbridge, which stands for London's Millennium Footbridge.

Cannon Street Railway Bridge

Construction of the Cannon Street Railway Bridge began in 1863. In 1866 the building work was completed. The new bridge had five iron spans, which were mounted on cast-iron Doric columns. The bridge included ten rail tracks and pedestrian galleries. Moreover, there were separate pedestrian galleries for the public, and their own for the station employees.

This bridge is included in the "Bridges of London" list. Among other bridges in central London, this bridge stands out in that its pillars are a row of six round columns, which are separated from one another at some distance.

The name of the bridge was given by the name of the railway station from which they opened in the same year. This railway station is located on the north bank of the River Thames. The bridge also contributes to the connection of the station with the southern bank of the river.

The bridge was originally called the Alexandra Bridge (in honor of the wife of Edward, Prince of Wales). It was in the year when the construction of the bridge was started that the son of the then reigning Queen Victoria, the crown prince of the British throne, in the future, King Edward VII married Alexandra of Denmark.

Since 1886 by 1893 The bridge has been widened somewhat. The bridge underwent renovation already in the 20th century, since 1979. to 1982 after that, he lost the bulk of his ornaments.

westminster bridge

Westminster Bridge is currently the oldest bridge in central London. He is a century and a half old. It looks like an ordinary arch bridge, similar to Southwark Bridge, Lambeth Bridge and Blackfriars Bridges. Its difference from them is that it has the largest number of arches among modern London bridges - 7 (the listed bridges have only 5 of them). Westminster Bridge was built in 1862 on the site of the old Westminster Bridge. The reason for the construction of the new bridge was the poor condition of the old one, which was built of stone and constantly sagged, as a result of which it took too much money and time to repair it. Westminster Bridge was designed by Thomas Page. Westminster Bridge became the second bridge across the Thames in London. Before the construction of the first Westminster Bridge in London, the only way to cross the Thames was through the Old London Bridge, which was built 1500 years before the construction of Westminster Bridge. And it was after the construction of Westminster Bridge that a significant expansion of the capital of Great Britain began to the northwest, namely in late XVIII century there was a strong development of London's West End. In terms of its architecture, Westminster Bridge harmoniously fits into the neo-Gothic style of the buildings surrounding it, namely with the Palace of Westminster, which is located on the west bank of the Thames. In addition, the London Eye is perfectly visible from Westminster Bridge, from which you can see London and its environs.

We all know from school that the most famous bridge in London is the Tower Bridge. Its unusual appearance makes it easily recognizable: two Gothic-style towers stand on imposing river pillars, which are connected by drawbridges and pedestrian galleries.

Its main difference from other bridges is that it is drawable and the lowest located over the Thames. It got its name due to its proximity to the Tower, which is located on the north side.

Short story

For a long time, the Thames was crossed by one London Bridge. However, the sharp economic recovery and population growth that began in the 19th century showed the need for the construction of additional bridges, which were supposed to help solve the transport problem of the capital.

Within a few years, more than one bridge was built, but the problems with the traffic flow did not decrease. Soon a committee was created that studied dozens of projects, and only in 1884 was the project approved by John Wolf Bury and Goras Jonsan.

More than 400 workers worked on the construction of the bridge for 8 years. The opening took place on June 30, 1894, the event was attended by Prince Edward of Wales and his wife Princess Alexandra.

The bridge was made in the Gothic style, but with a number of innovative developments. Thanks to the presence of a hydraulic system, just a couple of minutes is enough to ensure free passage for a sailing vessel. Until 1974, the bridge was raised by the operation of steam engines, in the furnaces of which coal was burned, which powered the pumps. They pumped water into tanks, storing energy. But progress did not stand still, and the entire mechanism was replaced by an electro-hydraulic system, which significantly saved time and costs. Now the bridge was raised not according to the schedule, but out of necessity.

Over the years, Tower Bridge, along with Big Ben, have become real symbols and one of the main attractions of London.

To date, Tower Bridge is one of the most visited attractions in England. Many tourists, coming here, consider it an honor to take a walk through the legendary building, especially since many London hotels send you on very informative and comprehensive city tours.

Information for visitors

Address: Tower Bridge Road, London SE1 2UP, United Kingdom

You can walk along the Tower Bridge:

• in the summer season (from April 1 to September 30) - from 10:00 to 18:30 (last entry at 17:30);
• in the winter season (from October 1 to March 31) - from 09:30 to 18:00 (last admission at 17:00).

Ticket price:

You can buy tickets at

Old aristocratic England... How many world-famous historical and cultural objects are in it, connected with the sovereign past of this small but strong state. It was in London that such a Colossus of bridge building as the Tower drawbridge across the Thames was erected.

A nice bonus only for our readers - a discount coupon when paying for tours on the site until October 31:

• AF500guruturizma - promo code for 500 rubles for tours from 40,000 rubles
• AFTA2000Guru - promo code for 2,000 rubles. for tours to Thailand from 100,000 rubles.
• AF2000TGuruturizma - promo code for 2,000 rubles. for tours to Tunisia from 100,000 rubles.

For a long eight years, many plans for construction were considered, and, finally, in 1880, the project of Horace Jones, developed in the Gothic style, was approved.

Description of the architectural project

The grandiose project provided for the simultaneous movement of pedestrians along it and the passage of ships along the river, so the bridge had to be built with counterweights. To this end, two sixty-five-meter towers were built on powerful steel supports, at a height of 42 meters above the water, they were connected by galleries, placing them at a height of 34 meters above the roadway of the bridge.

The construction of these facilities took 11,000 tons of metal: the project was among the most expensive in England in the 19th century. An innovation in the construction was the combination of brickwork and steel structures.

Elevators are installed inside the towers, thanks to which pedestrians have the opportunity to be in the galleries and move freely along them in both directions, when the lower part of the bridge is in a raised state, and river vessels with a carrying capacity of which are limited to 10,000 tons pass under it.

This is possible thanks to two huge lifting structures, each of which weighs 1.2 tons; the lifting angle of the wings of the lift is 83 degrees, which ensures the free movement of ships. The length of the bridge is 244 meters, and the length of the longest span is 61 meters.

Jones himself did not wait for the opening of his brainchild: he died before the completion of construction. The construction of the unique bridge continued under the guidance of the talented architect Wolfe-Berry and was completed in 1894.

On June 30 of the same year, an important event took place. historical event- the opening of the Tower Bridge, which was a colossal creation of bridge building and a work of architectural art. All the important people of England were present at this event, including the family of the Prince of Wales Edward.

Technical subtleties of breeding the bridge

For the first decades of the functioning of the unusual design, breeding was carried out with the help of eight hydraulic engines, which worked on water vapor and additionally lifted elevators with people into the galleries. Huge steam pressure was required for the hydraulics to successfully perform the lifting function for one minute (during this time the wings of the bridge spread).

Previously, there was no schedule for the passage of ships, so at the moment a steamer or barge approached the bridge, a prearranged signal was heard announcing the start of the draw and warning that motorists, cyclists and pedestrians needed to leave the draw part of the bridge. After that, the barriers were lowered, the wings of the bridge were raised, the ship sailed, and again a signal followed, announcing that the wiring was completed.

For a long time, lift motors have been operating on electric current, schedules for the passage of vessels are drawn up in advance long before they pass. Everyone can get acquainted with the schedule posted on the bulletin board before going up to the galleries, which now mainly serve as platforms for exploring the surroundings and are a kind of museum of the famous object.

Tower Bridge towers

The soaring gothic spiers of the towers give them a solemn ceremonial look, numerous windows with openwork stucco architraves add an element of grace, and round massive columns along the edges create the impression of a monolithic power of structures. Steel chains stretching from one tower to another reinforce this impression. The walls of the towers are finished with granite, which makes them even more related to the majestic Tower Castle.

Bridge as a tourist attraction

Each of the tourists who visit London considers it his duty to visit the Tower Bridge in order to see with his own eyes this truly unique structure - the fruit of a person's mental and physical labor. Some of the visitors are watching the wiring, marveling at how the huge colossus-wings instantly swing open, giving way to the ship.

Others admire the panorama of London, which opens to admiring glances with thousands of medieval buildings, avenues and avenues, squares and parks and makes one think about greatness and power English capital created over the centuries by generations of hard-working Britons.

You can visit the galleries, look at the history of the bridge in photographs and stands, visit an exhibition where the stages of the construction of the facility are shown on an electronic scoreboard. Now the floor in the galleries on a segment of eleven meters, made of steel plates, has become transparent: the steel plates have been replaced with durable glass panels 6 cm thick and weighing 530 kilograms.

Through them you can see a luxurious ship or a luxurious yacht sailing below - a very interesting and beautiful sight that attracts the attention of many, so the part of the gallery with a glass floor is never empty.

Unforgettable impressions from the bridge are enhanced by a visit to Tower Castle, one of the oldest monuments of architecture, the shortest and fastest way to which was the Tower Drawbridge - a unique masterpiece among its fellows.

There are many cities built on the river, which can boast of their wonderful bridges, as well as the legends associated with them. London, however, is the kind of city where the bridges themselves are a notable sight. it business card cities. But in addition to entertainment, the bridges are also unique and rich in their history. There is a lot to talk about each of them and quite exciting!

The Thames is the legendary river of Great Britain. It is above it that unique and completely different bridges are located, which have become an adornment of the city.
In total, there are 30 bridges in London thrown over rivers, in the city center there is the famous Tower Bridge, as well as the Millennium Bridge, Chelsea Bridge, Blackfriars Bridge, Waterloo Bridge, Vauxhall, Lambeth, London Bridge and Westminster Bridge. Let's consider some of them.

London Bridge

This bridge was the only one in London before 1750 built across the Thames. The very first London Bridge was built by the Romans in the 1st century, and it was wooden. Since that time, the bridges changed each other with a certain frequency, but always had one common name - London Bridge.
The modern bridge opened on March 16, 1973. This happened with the direct participation of Queen Elizabeth II. It is the busiest city thoroughfare. The building is 262 meters long and 32 meters wide.
Tourists really like to visit this historical and picturesque place. You can enjoy the incredible landscapes of the city, especially in the evening, from the towers of the bridge.

westminster bridge

It was built in 1862 and is currently the oldest bridge in the capital of Great Britain. It, for more than 150 years, practically does not require repair.
In addition to its historical value, the popularity of this bridge is explained by the fact that it offers an excellent view of other attractions. For example, from it you can see another symbol of the capital of Britain - this is the famous Big Ben, as well as the Palace of Congresses with Westminster Abbey.

Vauxhall

The first iron bridge with tram traffic, which appeared in 1816. The bridge is very impressive in its appearance - it stands out for its red and yellow color, interesting sculptures stand on its pillars.

Lambeth

Its history dates back to 1860. Previously, it served as a pedestrian crossing. Repair work began in 1929. As a result, a new five-span steel and reinforced concrete bridge was made. The bridge is 18 meters wide and 236.5 meters long.
The bridge is interesting for its unusualness and decoration - the lattice pylons at each end of the bridge are decorated with pineapples on top.

waterloo

The opening of this stone bridge took place in 1945, and this name was given to him in honor of the Battle of Waterloo, which became victorious for England.
If you want to see the whole center of the capital, then you need to go to this bridge! It will offer a magnificent view of the City - which is the business center of the city, and Westminster Abbey. You can also see the famous Canarian shipyard and the Ferris wheel, which is also called the London Eye.

Blackfriars

Majestic London can also be clearly seen from the Blackfriars Bridge, which has existed since 1869. It is named after the monastery, which existed in the XIII century. From it you can clearly see St. Paul's Cathedral and the famous Shakespeare's Globe Theater.

Millennium

This bridge, built according to an unusual suspension type design, was opened in the summer (June) of 2000. So he rightfully bears the title of the newest bridge in the capital. Its full name sounds like London Millennium Footbridge and translates as "London Millennium Footbridge".

Tower Bridge

This is the only drawbridge of all that is on the Thames. It was built in 1894. Perhaps he is the most famous in London, the most remarkable and interesting. The bridge consists of 2 towers with a height of 293 feet, and also includes two movable parts weighing 1000 tons each.
Tower Bridge is a symbol of London, which is why it is so loved by foreigners who come to the UK.

As you can see, each bridge is interesting in its own way and each deserves attention.