Bridges No.15 - Chelsea Bridge

Battersea Park sits between our next two bridges, which often get mixed up. The first in Chelsea Bridge, a self-anchored suspension bridge. As you can see from the photo it was undergoing a little refurbishment work during my walk. The need for a bridge here arose because of London's growing population and the growth of the city westwards. The population on both sides of the river expanded once Westminster Bridge had been built (previously the only bridge had been London Bridge, way downstream by the City). The 19th century in particular so rapid building programmes in suburbs such as Chelsea, Fulham and Battersea and the need for new bridges upstream of Westminster became evident.

In 1851 work began on Chelsea Bridge following the designs of Thomas Page. Like most new bridges, Chelsea charged tolls and did so until 1879. It opened in 1858 and was built at the same time as Battersea Bridge (further upstream). However, the bridge was never formally named and in its early years was informally known as Victoria Bridge. But in 1880 its name changed to Chelsea Bridge at a time when an additional chain was added due to safety fears.

Just as other London bridges were replaced on the grounds of safety, so Chelsea went the same way. In 1935 demolition work began and the new bridge was given far stronger foundations. The new bridge was designed by G Topham Forest and opened in May 1937. The roadway is suspended using 37 galvanised steel wires and the upright supports for the cables also act as lampstands and are decorated with golden galleons.