In 1831 King William IV and Queen Adelaide arrived by water to celebrate the opening of the new bridge. Demolition of the ancient structure began that year, and by 1832 it disappeared, having served 622 years.
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In 1968, an American tycoon bought London Bridge—all 10,000 tons of it—and moved it brick-by-brick to the desert town of Lake Havasu City, Arizona. In the early 1960s, officials in England made a troubling discovery: London Bridge was falling down.
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.
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.
Eventually, by 1657, all the houses and stores were torn down and the bridge was widened and partly rebuilt. Over the years, the bridge needed many repairs, due to structural damage and fires, but it still managed to survive for 600 years!
The bridge was damaged many times by fire, flood, and extreme weather, and replaced by new structures three times, in 1757, 1823, and 1973. The historical 1823 London Bridge was sold to American entrepreneur Robert McCullough and moved to Lake Havasu, Arizona, where it has become an important tourist attraction.
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.
It crumbled in 1281 (due to ice damage), 1309, 1425 and 1437, and then there was a devastating fire in the seventeenth century. But despite its Jenga-like tendencies, the medieval London Bridge (including houses and shops) did last for 600 years, until it was demolished in 1831.
Yes, absolutely. And on a pleasant day, if you cross on the east side (the left in the direction you're going) you also get a great view of Tower Bridge, the Tower, City Hall and HMS Belfast.
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.
How many bridges are there in London? There are 35 bridges which cross over the river in London, so wherever you find yourself along the Thames you're guaranteed to be close to at least one of these famous bridges!