Sights of Great Britain: London Bridge

The capital of Great Britain is famous for its amazing sights, which can be divided into groups: palaces, churches, parks, museums, galleries, bridges. All the interesting places in London can not be covered in one article, so we will dwell in detail on the history of only one unusual building.

The London Bridge is the name of a concrete structure that connects the right bank of the Thames and City, the business district of the city. At this point, there have always been bridges, dating back to the time of the founding of London. They successively succeeded each other as they disintegrated. The fact that the London Bridge had to be rebuilt often found its reflection in the famous children's song London bridge is fallen, where it is proposed to rebuild from brick, iron, and in the last verse - from gold. This structure was really ready to be rebuilt using any, even the most expensive materials, because it was the only ferry in the city through the Thames until 1750.

The very first bridge was built by the Romans in the middle of the first century AD. It was wooden, so it often collapsed during wars, storms and fires. So, in 1014 it was completely destroyed by the Danish conquerors, in 1091 it was demolished by the strongest storm, and in 1281 it was destroyed by ice. In fires, he "died" in 1136, 1212 and 1633 years. Then the Londoners took reinforced fire prevention measures, so in the ill-fated 1666 the fire could destroy only a third of the bridge.

Since the London Bridge was intensively built up by houses, besides being the only way to move from one bank to another, the traffic on it was extremely intense and complex. They even started to get traffic jams. And this is in the 18th century! Therefore, in 1722 a law was issued permitting only the left-hand traffic on the bridge. Actually, it was this decree that initiated the ubiquitous left-wing movement on the roads of Britain. And the houses, which so strongly prevented free movement on the bridge, were completely demolished in 1760.

The London Bridge, in addition to its functional purpose, played an important political and symbolic role in the life of the capital. From the 14th to the 17th c. At his South Gate, the heads of executed criminals and traitors were exposed. In particular, this fate befell Thomas Mor, Oliver Cromwell, William Wallace, John Fisher.

Here unfolded historical events crucial for the country, for example, it was this way that Charles II passed when he arrived in London to return his father's throne in 1660, during the restoration of the Stuarts dynasty.

The Old London Bridge also influenced the general character of the city's development : the largest number of houses were built in the immediate vicinity of the bridge, on the north bank of the Thames. And the southern shore was built up less densely, the structures there diverge in the form of a fan along the river and to Southwark.

The penultimate bridge construction was erected around 1830. It was stone, five-arched and served more than a hundred years, but eventually began to settle. In 1967, they decided to build a new bridge, and the old London Bridge was not to be destroyed, but sold. Those who wanted to buy it were found very quickly. This "greatest antiques in the world" was bought by the American oil tycoon Robert McCulloch for $ 2.5 million. For three years he carefully disassembled, numbered and packed each stone to send to the States. There the building was neatly assembled, and now it has become the main attraction of Lake Havasu City in Arizona, attracting many tourists.

The new London Bridge was built in just a few years. It was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II in 1973. On the first day about 90 thousand people passed through it. The bridge is made of steel and concrete and, according to its design, looks the most unpretentious of all similar buildings in the capital. There are no decorations on it, but it is reliable and has the highest bandwidth due to three lanes in each direction. The sidewalks on it are wide and convenient for walking, and in the winter they are additionally heated so that the cold does not become an obstacle to excursions to this amazing historical place.