#londonbridge — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #londonbridge, aggregated by home.social.
-
600 Years of Chaos on the Old London Bridge 🌉
The Frozen Thames (1677) by Abraham HondiusOld London Bridge was a glorious ode to organised chaos. It stood from 1209 to 1831 covering the span of the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark.
This features explores the various paintings that showcased its weird design, a ramshackle batch of houses piled along the stretch of the thing. It was a bustling market area and just looking at paintings you can imagine how cramped it all was. Thus, let’s dive on in and see why this thing ever existed.
The Disorganised Chaos of Old London Bridge
London Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down,
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair lady.There’s the nursery rhyme you’ll no doubt know. The earliest record of the rhyme it dates to the 17th century, but it may have existed since the Late Middle Ages. The violence suggested in the lyrics may nod to a Viking invasion back in 1014, as the bridge had been in place as a Roman structure until the end of the Roman rule in 5th century Britain.
At some point it was rebuilt, destroyed in the 1066 Norman Conquest, then rebuilt again by King William I (William the Conqueror). The bridge’s destructive history continued on from there. Like this:
- Repaired/updated (the records are unclear) by King William II
- Destroyed by a fire in 1136
- Rebuilt by King Stephen of Blois (amusingly, referred to historically as just… Stephen)
- King Henry II created a monastic guild (Brethren of the Bridge) to put in place a fully timber London Bridge
- King Henry II eventually recommissioned the bridge be upgraded to stone (he also requested a chapel be placed in its centre, a memorial to his friend Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who’d been murdered)
Construction began in 1176 and dragged on at great expense through until 1209. 33 bloody years!
And King Henry II died in 1189, so King John appointed a French monk called Isembert, also apparently a bridge building master, to take over the project in 1202 and get the job done. This he did. Bravo.
A Precarious Life on the Old London Bridge
Old London Bridge on the 1632 oil painting View of London Bridge by Claude de JonghThe eccentric use of houses was there from the off. During the 14th century the total buildings reached its peak at 140. They were added as a way to pay for the maintenance of the construction, with the inclusion of rents and tolls for those running a business there or passing across the bridge.
It looks akin to Howls Moving Castle (2004) in the Studio Ghibli film. Houses stacked precariously atop each other, some jutting out over the Thames, and all seemingly created with no sense of order.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwxatzcYf9Q?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=723&h=407]There’s an incredible English Heritage feature on Old London Bridge that goes into more detail on London’s weirdest structural effort. It notes on the structure:
“This incarnation of London Bridge was slightly downstream from its wooden predecessors and from the site of the bridge which today bears the name. It survived in that position for more than 600 years.
The longest inhabited bridge in Europe, its roadway was lined from the outset with shops and houses. It served as the gateway to the city and was a place of religious pilgrimage and royal pageantry.”
For visitors to the city, it was pretty captivating. Dutch Golden Age painter Claude de Jongh (1605-1663) was clearly fascinated by them. He travelled to England on several occasions between 1625 and 1650 and painted the piece at the top of this section, plus the below image.
View of Old London Bridge from the West (1650) by the Dutch Golden Age painter Claude de JonghThe bridge was rooted there, overseeing many generations, and many painters over the centuries captured cultural events. For those living on the thing, life would have been chaotic.
Boats on the water faced strong currents, so it would’ve been likely many crashed into each other (or the bridge). Then there’s the general fire hazard overload the buildings represented on the bridge.
Plus, within the confined, claustrophobic walls of the central street there were markets, shoppers, and horse and cart passing through. Going with that were regular reminders of the brutality of the times, the heads of traitors impaled on pikes on the stone gates at the front of the bridge.
In fact, a German tourist called Paul Hentzner (1558-1623), a lawyer and travel writer, noted this:
“On the south is a bridge of stone eight hundred feet in length, of wonderful work; it is supported upon twenty piers of square stone, sixty feet high and thirty broad, joined by arches of about twenty feet diameter. The whole is covered on each side with houses so disposed as to have the appearance of a continued street, not at all of a bridge. Upon this is built a tower, on whose top the heads of such as have been executed for high treason are placed on iron spikes: we counted above thirty.”
Apparently, heads were no longer impaled there after 1661. Not out of kindness! But to stick them on Temple Bar instead.
But when not busy getting mugged, or staring at severed skulls, you could go and use a public lavatory. There were two installed as multi-seat latrines.
Amusingly (ahem), in 1481 one of the latrines collapsed and plunged five men into the River Thames. In one of the most comically tragic events imaginable, they all drowned (unfortunately).
Despite all that sort of stuff, there were genuine moments of joy to be had at Old London Bridge.
A great example is depicted in Frost Fair on the Thames (circa 1685). The artist is unknown. The bridge’s structure altered waterflow sufficiently so the Thames would easily freeze over. When it did, locals would head out onto the ice and have a rave.
Frost Fair on the Thames, circa 1685Curiously, the sky here with its masses of clouds suggests there’s either a mass of pollution or a huge fire. That’s fairly apt, as the bridge had a long and tumultuous history.
After its successful completion, the thing soon hit structural issues, with a major collapse in 1281. An organisation called Bridge House was created in 1282 to cover for that, with two bridge wardens appointed.
There was another structural issues in the 14th century, too, and across subsequent centuries there were various fires that destroyed large quadrants of the precariously perched buildings.
English painter Samuel Scott (1702-1772) painted one of the final few images of the houses. Below is from 1757, with the buildings removed for good inn 1761. By this point, the bridge was falling into disrepair and needed replacing.
At that point, as depicted above, it’d been standing for almost 600 straight years. Sometimes it was near to collapse, it caught fire many times, but did manage to escape relatively unscathed from the Great Fire of London of 1666.
600 years! The home of a phenomenal amount of history; lives lived, pockets picked, arguments had, births, deaths, and British fisticuffs.
The whole thing was eventually replaced by New London Bridge in 1831, which remained in place up until 1967. After which, the rather underwhelming concrete slab that is the Modern London Bridge was introduced in March 1973.
And it is underwhelming. It’s boring and for those citizens and tourists crossing it everyday, there’s no hint at all of the mayhem that took place over its arches for hundreds of years.
AI Brings Old London Bridge Back to Life
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=994nGl4m-VM?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=723&h=407]Those old paintings don’t really do the strangeness of the construction justice. Thanks to the MIRACLE of AI (ahem), we can get a reasonable understanding of what the place was like.
We can only imagine living in such confined quarters was chaotic, but good enough fun. Given how frequently boring life must have been back before Netflix, living on Old London Bridge would have at least provided some ongoing intrigue.
But there we go, watch that video, bask in the vibes, and mourn the loss of London’s weirdest ever structure across the Thames.
#Architecture #Art #Artistic #Bridges #chaos #History #interesting #Lifestyle #London #LondonBridge #OldLondonBridge #painting #Thames -
Bird’s-eye view of London seen in 280-year-old map
The mapping, which began in 1741, was finished in 1745 and published the following year An 18th Century…
#London #UnitedKingdom #UK #GB #England #Headlines #News #Europe #EU #Britain #BritishLibrary #CityofLondon #GreatBritain #JohnRocque #london #LondonBridge #StevenBrindle
https://www.europesays.com/uk/844323/ -
https://www.europesays.com/uk/844323/ Bird’s-eye view of London seen in 280-year-old map #Britain #BritishLibrary #CityOfLondon #England #GreatBritain #JohnRocque #london #LondonBridge #StevenBrindle #UK #UnitedKingdom
-
Major disruption for London and Surrey trains after train derailment http://dlvr.it/TQlWvk #EastCroydon #EastGrinstead #Epsom #LondonBridge
-
This week’s midweek walk, with the possibility of fireworks and some Guy Fawkes drinks.
https://www.metropolitan-walkers.org.uk
#ramblersuk #walking #londonwalks #westminister #londonbridge #fireworks #bonfire #guyfawkes -
This week’s midweek walk, with the possibility of fireworks and some Guy Fawkes drinks.
https://www.metropolitan-walkers.org.uk
#ramblersuk #walking #londonwalks #westminister #londonbridge #fireworks #bonfire #guyfawkes -
Our AGM is on the 19th November @themiller.se1 from 19:00. See our website for full details.
https://www.metropolitan-walkers.org.uk
#ramblersgb #walking #london #agm #londonbridge #se1 -
Our AGM is on the 19th November @themiller.se1 from 19:00. See our website for full details.
https://www.metropolitan-walkers.org.uk
#ramblersgb #walking #london #agm #londonbridge #se1 -
To be hurtling through the world together at such #speed & syncronicity that everyone else is just a blur, yet when you glance at them (near or far), they seem perfectly still. Is that what #love is like?
I haven't the foggiest idea, but sounds cool, no?#MomentsFromAMovingTrain #photography #trains #MotionBlur #parallax #LondonBridge #London
-
Preliminary report published into near miss at London station http://dlvr.it/TND45m #Blackfriars #LondonBridge #Network
-
Swelltor Quarry, near Princetown, Dartmoor, Devon.
These twelve granite corbels lie at the side of the former tramway (visible on the right) about halfway up/down. They were cut for the 1903-4 widening of London Bridge but never used. They were either condemned because of iron marks or were cut too short. Still, they make a convenient stop for a break on the way up to, or down from, the quarry.
-
In the 1960s, London Bridge was really falling down — or, to be more accurate, sinking into the mud under the weight of cars and buses it wasn't built to carry. So the city of London sold it at auction to a man named Robert McCulloch. @AtlasObscura explain who he was, how he dismantled the bridge and put it back together, where it is now, and why a voodoo doll was buried underneath it.
#London #LondonBridge #Arizona #History #UKHistory #USHistory @histodons
-
The best places to drink Portuguese wine in London right now https://www.diningandcooking.com/2184072/the-best-places-to-drink-portuguese-wine-in-london-right-now-2/ #BarDouro #DouroValley #london #LondonBridge #MaxGraham #Portugal #PortugueseWine #PremiumWines #RooftopRestaurant #Wine #WineFromPortugal #WineOfPortugal
-
‘Too Much’s Meg Stalter Would “Literally Start Crying” While Shooting Fergie’s ‘London Bridge’ Remix Video
#News #Fergie #LondonBridge #MegStalter #MusicVideo #Netflix #TooMuchhttps://deadline.com/2025/07/too-much-meg-stalter-crying-fergie-london-bridge-video-1236452090/
-
"American Social Media is doing a great job raising our kids, let's have more it it!" -Labour /s
https://www.mylondon.news/news/south-london-news/elderly-man-woman-attacked-london-31489567
-
Southeastern’s Lee Doggett drives train named after his dad http://dlvr.it/TJXnXk #Electrostar #LondonBridge #LondonCharingCross #Network
-
London’s oldest railway station celebrates Railway 200 http://dlvr.it/TJ0PHX #Deptford #Greenwich #London #LondonBridge
-
London’s oldest railway station celebrates Railway 200 http://dlvr.it/TJ0PHk #Deptford #Greenwich #London #LondonBridge
-
We have three walks this weekend so something for everybody, all welcome! See you there.
https://www.metropolitan-walkers.org.uk
#ramblersuk #walking #hiking #mazehill #greenwitchpark #londonbridge #virginiawater #windsor #runnymede #bromley #hayes #咲 -
🇬🇧
Monochrome night shot of the Shard and London Bridge over the River Thames against the London skyline
Komeil Karimi_20221119_K008748
#London #momo #monochrome #shard #LondonBridge #RiverThames #river #Thames #skyline #nightshot #cityscape #blackandwhite #bnw #Photography -
#Progress #Prideflag torn down from #LondonBridge #station’s #LGBTHistoryMonth #display.
A #collage of Pride flags at London Bridge #railway #station has been #vandalised just days before it was due to be #removed.
#Women #Transgender #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #UK #Conservatives #Extremism #Fascism #Hatecrimes #Tories #TERFS #Hate #Bigotry #Violence #Genocide #TERFIsland
https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/02/22/london-bridge-progress-pride-flag-vandalised/ -
London Bridge: an anonymous 'country dance' from The Dancing Master, 1710.
Alison Kinder: bass #viol
Robin Jeffrey: #baroque #guitarImage: Claude de Jongh - View of London Bridge, 1632
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wHrK7BSI8s&ab_channel=Passamezzo
#london #londonbridge #londonhistory #historyoflondon #recordingartist #recordingsession #video #youtube #baroque #earlymusic #guitar #violadagamba #viol #musicians #englishmusic #countrydance #eighteenthcentury #oldlondonbridge
#18thCentury
#histodon
#histodons
@earlymusic
@histodons
@histodon -
CW: Photo: HMS Belfast at night...
I was wandering around the #LondonBridge area and came across the #RiverThames, with this lovely view of #HMSBelfast and #TowerBridge in the background, all lit up and pretty.
#Photography available via #GettyImages / #iStock by Getty.
-
CW: Photo: A couple taking a selfie with the Christmas tree...
Was wandering aimlessly near #LondonBridge earlier this evening and popped into #HaysGalleria to take a peek at their #ChristmasTree when I saw a lovely opportunity for a bit of festive #StreetPhotography with this couple taking a selfie of themselves in front of the tree.
Shot with my trusty #LeicaM10R, mounted with the #Leica Summicron-M 28mm f/2 APSH..
#Photography
#London
#Christmas
#LeicaPhotography
#LeicaCamera
#ThatLeicaLook -
Snowy days at our Waterloo Green and Red Cross Garden.
#londonparksandgardens #snowday #ParkManagement #parks #waterloo #BoroughHighStreet #LondonBridge #explorelondon #gardens #gardensofmastodon
-
Qualche giorno fa, all'età di 96 anni, è morta la regina #Elisabetta II. Le rendiamo omaggio con una breve storia della prima Elisabetta, sovrana che parlava e scriveva correntemente anche la #linguaitaliana | #QueenElizabeth #LondonBridge
LEGGI: https://italofonia.info/elisabetta-i-la-regina-inglese-che-parlava-anche-italiano/
-
Qualche giorno fa, all'età di 96 anni, è morta la regina #Elisabetta II. Le rendiamo omaggio con una breve storia della prima Elisabetta, sovrana che parlava e scriveva correntemente anche la #linguaitaliana | #QueenElizabeth #LondonBridge
LEGGI: https://italofonia.info/elisabetta-i-la-regina-inglese-che-parlava-anche-italiano/
-
Schon lange liegen Pläne bereit, die den Ablauf nach dem Tod von Königin Elizabeth II. ganz genau vorschreiben. Genannt wird das Protokoll "London Bridge".
"London Bridge is down": Das passiert nach dem Tod der Queen | DW | 08.09.2022
#KöniginElizabethII #Queen #England #PrinzCharles #LondonBridge -
Dio salvi la #Regina: e ci uniamo agli auguri di guarigione e buoni auspici dedicati dall'intera società civile e religiosa del #RegnoUnito in questo complesso momento
#QueenElizabeth #Elisabetta #BBC #LondonBridge #buckinghampalace #Balmoralhttps://www.bufale.net/preoccupazioni-per-la-regina-in-inghilterra-la-notizia-arriva-in-parlamento/
-
Dio salvi la #Regina: e ci uniamo agli auguri di guarigione e buoni auspici dedicati dall'intera società civile e religiosa del #RegnoUnito in questo complesso momento
#QueenElizabeth #Elisabetta #BBC #LondonBridge #buckinghampalace #Balmoralhttps://www.bufale.net/preoccupazioni-per-la-regina-in-inghilterra-la-notizia-arriva-in-parlamento/
