Bridges No.11 - Westminster Bridge

With the Houses of Parliament standing proudly in the bankground, the approach to Westminster Bridge is one of the best, with the sole exception of Tower Bridge. On my walk, it was still undergoing a bit of repair work, hence the blue scaffolding on the nearside arch and the floating crane.

Westminster Bridge was the second London bridge. For hundreds of years the only possible way to cross the Thames was either in a boat or along London Bridge. During the reign of Elizabeth I attempts were made to have a bridge built here, but the City of London persistently objected to the plan. It took until 1734 for a design to be accepted, that of Charles Labeyle, a Swiss-born engineer. He received support from the Earl of Pembroke and by 1736 and Act of Parliament had been passed allowing the bridge to be constructed. It was funded through a lottery and led to its early monicer "The Bridge of Fools". The building of the bridge was delayed by problem after problem. A combination of harsh winter weather, financial difficulties, wars in Europe, sabotage, general accidents and even a small earthquake meant that the bridge was not complete until 1750. Not a lot changes when it comes to large infrastructure projects! Even after it was opened, the problems didn't stop. The bridge tended to sway on its foundations and its foundations were undermined further following the demolition of the old London Bridge.

Ten years of work, led by James Walker and starting in 1836, involve the reconstruction of the bridge. Once complete Walker, alongwith Charles Barry, the architect of the Palace of Westminster, George Rennie and Thomas Page submitted plans for a replacement bridge. Work on the new bridge began in 1854 and it opened in 1862. It is now the oldest bridge in Central London and also has the most arches, numbering seven. The bridge is supposed to be green in colour to match the benches in the House of Commons (Lambeth Bridge, which we'll come to next, is red to match the benches in the House of Lords). However, from my photo, and others I've seen I'd swear it was light blue.