When did people stop living on London Bridge?

To help improve navigation under the bridge, its two centre arches were replaced by a single wider span, the Great Arch, in 1759. Demolition of the houses was completed in 1761 and the last tenant departed after some 550 years of housing on the bridge.



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In fact, the very solidity of its construction was the reason for its ultimate demise; it was replaced in the 19th century because its narrow arches were a barrier to the free flow of river traffic.

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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.

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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. Two hundred years later, another artist – Hogarth – was a resident.

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By 1962, it was not sturdy enough to carry the increased load of traffic; the bridge was sold by the City of London in April 1968 to make way for its replacement. The purchaser, Robert P. McCulloch, was an entrepreneur and real estate developer who founded Lake Havasu City.

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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.

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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.

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