We’ve all heard someone repeat the old adage “There’s no such thing as a stupid question.” I’ve said it myself on more than one occasion, and it is to some extent true, well almost. I’ve chatted to a lot of tourists over the years and discovered that in fact there are “stupid questions”. A couple of examples I’ve come across:
Q. Why doesn’t London smell of anything?
A. Uuuuuhh. . . that might be a question for your doctor.
Q. Is London near England?
A. Is London . . . What do you . . . whaaaa?
HOWEVER a very sensible question you might ask is this…
Q. Where is London Bridge?
A. Probably not where you think it is and certainly not what you think it is.
If you are picturing this…
That is TOWER BRIDGE. It is located just next to the Tower of London and the nearest tube station is Tower Hill. For hints on using the tube I have a post you should see here.
London Bridge is sadly far less exciting to look at.
See, told you so.
If you are surprised by this information don’t worry, you are not alone. This is a common mistake made by the majority of visitors, and you’ll see it being made online and in countless cultural references. Go ahead, google London Bridge and see what pops up. I'll wait.
Fergie of Black-Eyed Peas fame made a song called “London Bridge” and in the music video the only bridge in shot is . . . yes, you guessed it, Tower Bridge. Don’t worry, I’m over it, its fine.
A brief history of London Bridge
There has been a bridge or crossing on this site for at least 2000 years. In fact, it was the only bridge across the river until the 1800’s. If you didn’t use the bridge your only other option was to cross by boat. Understandably the Watermen who operated the boats ferrying people across the river weren't thrilled when new bridges started to pop up along the Thames.
Want to know a bit more? How about a rough timeline of London Bridge through the ages:
Roman Era - 1209
A series of temporary wooden pontoons or bridges which over the centuries were burned down, rebuilt, destroyed, rebuilt, dismantled and built again.
1209 – 1831
Old London Bridge was a colossal stone structure with a drawbridge at one end and as many as 200 buildings upon it containing shops, houses and even a church. The bridge could get so busy that it could take over an hour to get from one side to the other. It was commonplace for the heads of beheaded traitors to be placed on spikes here as a warning to Londoners, behave!
1831 – 1967
A new London Bridge was built near the same location without the houses and churches, strictly for the purpose of crossing the river. In the 1960’s they discovered it was slowly sinking into the river Thames and was sold to an American Millionaire called Robert McCulloch. It was then moved stone by stone and now sits to this day in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. I went to see it on my honeymoon (my wife was not thrilled about it).
1972 to the Present Day
We have the bridge that we see today. I do not wish to cause any offence to the team that designed the current bridge, I am sure they did their best but HOLY S%@! IS IT BORING. Considering it is one of, if not the most famous bridge in the world it would struggle to be more forgettable. It is therefore entirely understandable that the majority of tourists walk across it or glance at it without the faintest idea of what it is or its historical significance.
So there you have it, now you know which is which. By all means visit London Bridge and see for yourself, the nearest tube station is easy to remember . . . London Bridge. The surrounding area has loads to offer including Borough Market and some great pubs which we can deal with in future posts.
Any questions about this post? Feel free to get in touch!