London Bridge

The first bridge over the Thames Rover in London was probably a wooden bridge built buy the Romans in AD 43. The Old London Bridge of nursery-rhyme fame was built by Peter of Colechurch between 1176 and 1209, replacing an earlier timber bridge.

Because of obstruction encountered in building the cofferdams, the arch spans varied from 4.6 – 10.4 m) the uneven construction resulted I frequent need for repair, but the bridge survived more than 600 years.

It was demolished and replaced in the 1820s by New London Bridge, designed and built by John Rennie, Sr (1761-1821) and his son John Rennie. It consists of five elliptical arches, the least of which is larger than any stone arch of this description ever before erected.

Back in the mid 1960s, when London Bridge sinking - into the Thames River due to heavy car and truck traffic the British Government decided to sell the bridge.

It was again replaced; the old bridge was dismantles and re-erected at Lake Havasu City, Arizona as a tourist attraction in 1968.

The New London Bridge was opened by Queen on March 17, 1973.
London Bridge