To look at London Bridge now you see…. well…..a bridge with traffic on it. But go back three centuries or more and the bridge was full of houses and some illustrious tenants. During the reign of Henry VIII, the court painter Holbein lived there.
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Once this was completed, the old bridge was quickly dismantled and lost into the annals of history. There are, in fact, a few lasting remnants of the old London Bridge, and one of which is built into the tower of St Magnus the Marytr's Church on Lower Thames Street. The pedestrian entrance today.
As well as the Londoners, architectural features of the Old London Bridge can also be appreciated. For instance there was a chapel dedicated to St Thomas Becket (handily en route for those taking a pilgrimage to Canterbury). There was also a threatening gatehouse with a drawbridge.
The first 'London Bridge' was built by the Romans in 43 AD and was built as a pontoon bridge using planks that were laid across anchored boats. In 984, a new fixed wooden London Bridge was built.
In 984, a new fixed wooden London Bridge was built. This wooden bridge was short-lived however, as in 1014 Viking invaders led by King Olaf Haraldsson, attacked the British Isles and tore the bridge down.