Why did the original London Bridge collapse?

It's thought that at least 3,000 people died. As if that wasn't enough, parts of the bridge collapsed on several occasions, including 1281, 1309, 1425 and 1437. The 1281 collapse happened when expanding ice from the frozen Thames literally crushed five of the arches.



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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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Part of the bridge was damaged in 1281 due to ice damage, and it was weakened by multiple fires in the 1600s — including the Great Fire of London in 1666. Despite all of its structural failures, the London Bridge survived for 600 years and never actually “fell down” as the nursery rhyme implies.

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According to the City of London, the first bridge across the Thames was built between 1176 and 1209. It was replaced in the early 19th century and a third time when the existing bridge was built.

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When it was completed in 1209, medieval London Bridge was the only fixed crossing of the Thames downstream of Kingston-upon-Thames (until Fulham Bridge was built in 1729). Remarkably, it was also home to some 500 people – equivalent to the population of a small medieval town.

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Fun Facts About The London Bridge
  • Kaboom! The vintage lamps on the bridge are made from the melted-down cannons of Napoleon Bonaparte's army.
  • The London Bridge is rumored to be haunted. ...
  • The inside of the bridge is hollow because it was rebuilt in order to accommodate auto traffic. ...
  • The London Bridge is a movie star!


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The number of knife or sharp instrument offences recorded by the police in London rose to approximately 12,786 in 2022/23, compared with 11,122 in the previous year. This was the highest number of knife crime offences reported in London since 2019/20, when there were 15,928.

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