London Bridge
About London Bridge
The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It replaced a 19th-century stone-arched bridge, which in turn superseded a 600-year-old stone-built medieval structure. In addition to the roadway, for much of its history, the broad medieval bridge supported an extensive built up area of homes and businesses, part of the City's Bridge ward, and its southern end in Southwark was guarded by a large stone City gateway. The medieval bridge was preceded by a succession of timber bridges, the first of which was built by the Roman founders of London (Londinium) around AD 50.
On the show · 54 mentions total
London put London Bridge up for sale in 1968, and it was bought and rebuilt in the Arizona desert in America.
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More facts about London Bridge
They rebuilt London Bridge in a dry part of the desert and then redirected a nearby stream to run underneath it.
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When London Bridge was sold to America, some chunky granite blocks were left behind and now sit in Kew Gardens topped with park benches, so people sit on London Bridge without knowing.
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A Viking called Olaf tied ropes underneath London Bridge and used the tide to pull it down, drowning the soldiers on it.
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Old London Bridge used to be lined with shops and houses, including one called Nonsuch House that stood in the mid-17th century.
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Old London Bridge lasted around 600 years and was the only bridge across central London until it was dismantled in the 1820s for being too congested.
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When the 1925 London Bridge was built, the Lord Mayor sealed a box of coins and four seven-inch glass pillars into the foundation stone, which may still be inside.
327: No Such Thing As A SCUBA Diver In A Tree · listen
Frost fairs formed on the Thames near old London Bridge because its many arches slowed the river enough to make it freeze.
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At an 1814 frost fair on the frozen Thames they roasted a whole ox on the ice, which takes 24 hours and would feed 800 people.
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A book called Frostiana, a history of the frozen Thames, was entirely typeset and printed at a stall set up on the ice during a frost fair.
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The story goes that the American who bought London Bridge was conned into thinking he was buying Tower Bridge, but he always insisted he wasn't.
327: No Such Thing As A SCUBA Diver In A Tree · listen
More places from this episode
327: No Such Thing As A SCUBA Diver In A Tree put 5 places on the map.
- University of the Negev · Israel
- University of California, Berkeley · United States
- Yosemite · United States
- Tower Bridge · United Kingdom
Coordinates: 51.5081, -0.0878