For thousands of years, our cities have grown and developed around rivers and coastal inlets.
These waterways allow urban centres to connect with the global economy and until the advent
of commercial flight, were the most efficient way a city could do trade and fuel its economy.
To connect populations and drive economic growth, humans have been building their way
over and under the rivers in our cities for millennia.
Running for 346 kilometres (215 miles) through south east England, the River Thames is the
lifeblood of London and has played a key role in its development over the last 2,000 years.
The United Kingdom’s capital is now one of the largest urban areas in Europe and millions
of people use structures to cross the river at its heart every day.
Here, we take a journey down the Thames and look at some of the most innovative and impressive
crossings keeping London moving.
We're starting our journey upstream and just to the west of Central London,
where the Albert Bridge connects Battersea with Chelsea.
Built in 1873, the bridge is the last remaining example of an Ordish-Lefeuvre design. Whilst
the original structure was a modified cable-stayed bridge, it was altered between 1884 and 1887
to address structural weaknesses and elements of suspension bridge design were introduced.
The rise of cars in the 20th century presented further challenges for the structure and the
bridge was again modified. This time, concrete piers were added to support
the central span making the Albert Bridge a truly hybrid structure that features elements
of Suspension, Cable-Stayed and Beam bridge design.
Although the Albert Bridge is today the second least-used bridge in London (after Southwark
Bridge) - mainly due to limits on traffic volumes imposed to prolong its life span - its
elegance, boosted further at night with some 4,000 LED bulbs, makes it arguably the most
beautiful of all the Thames crossings.
Moving down-river and into central London,
we come to two very similar looking bridges connecting Westminster on the north bank and
Lambeth on the south. The current Lambeth Bridge is the second iteration
of a bridge to be located just south of the Palace of Westminster.
The original bridge was built in 1862 and used a suspension structure. However steep
approaches meant that many horses were afraid to cross the bridge and it ended up being used
almost exclusively by pedestrians. Also suffering from corrosion the original,
under-utilised Lambeth Bridge was replaced in 1932 by the current five-span steel arch
bridge we see today.
Built between 1739 and 1750, the original
Westminster Bridge was set to be formed from timber atop stone piers.
However, in the winter of 1739-40 - early on in the bridge’s construction work - the
Thames froze solid damaging the 140 piles that had been driven into the riverbed. This
led to a re-design of the crossing - and proposals for a masonry structure were adopted.
In 1750, a 15-arch masonry bridge was completed, becoming the first permanent river crossing
in central London for almost 600 years. But by the mid 19th century, increased tide
flow in the Thames was causing the structure to subside, and the bridge was replaced again
in 1862 with the seven-arch cast iron crossing we see today.
The close positioning of both the Westminster and Lambeth Bridges to the Palace of Westminster
is acknowledged in their colouring with Westminster Bridge painted green to reflect the House
of Commons, and Lambeth Bridge painted red, nodding to the House of Lords.
The Hungerford Bridge is named after the Hungerford Markets that formerly occupied the site now
known as Charing Cross station. The structure was originally a Brunel-designed
suspension footbridge that linked the markets with London's Southbank.
In 1859, the original bridge was purchased by the rail company extending the line into
Charing Cross and was removed to make way for the much larger structure we see today.
The suspension chains from the original crossing were later re-used in the construction of
the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol. While various pedestrian routes had existed
across the Hungerford Bridge for over half a century, they were generally narrow, poorly
maintained and often garnered a reputation as an unpleasant way across the river.
Completed in 2002, the Golden Jubilee Bridges were built to replace the unpopular footpaths
that preceded them. With a need to keep the central Hungerford
Bridge open during construction works, the proximity of foundations to London’s Bakerloo
tube line tunnels and the risk of encountering unexploded Second World War ordnance in the
river, the construction of these seemingly simple structures proved extremely complex.
Excavation works could only be carried out when the tube was closed, and for added safety,
the foundations were partly dug by hand.
Not to be confused with the neighbouring Blackfriars
Bridge which carries pedestrian and road traffic, the original Blackfriars Railway Bridge was
completed in 1864. With most railway services concentrated around
Waterloo station by the 1920s, the bridge’s uses severely declined and in 1985 the structure
was removed as it had become too weak to support modern trains.
Today, all that remains of the original bridge are its red support columns standing in the
river, together with the southern abutment which is now a Grade II listed structure.
The current Blackfriars Railway Bridge was built slightly downstream to the original.
Initially called the St Paul's Railway Bridge, its name changed in 1937 when St Pauls Station
was renamed Blackfriars. Today the bridge carries the extended Blackfriars
Railway Station platforms which form part of the cross-London Thameslink service.
Next-up we have the rather infamous Millennium Footbridge.
This low-profile suspension crossing originally opened on 10 June 2000, before closing just
two days later due to excessive vibrations brought about by pedestrian foot traffic.
To counter the vibrations, engineers retrofitted the bridge with 37 fluid-viscous dampers to
control horizontal movement and 52 tuned mass dampers to counter vertical movement.
Re-opening in 2002 the bridge is now a staple for tourists and locals crossing the Thames,
offering one of the best views of St Paul’s in London.
While its iconic status often sees it referred to as “London Bridge” (a much more humble
structure found half a mile upstream) Tower Bridge gets its name from the nearby Tower
of London. The combination suspension and bascule (draw)
bridge was built between 1886 and 1894. It consists of two large towers linked at
high level by horizontal walkways. The bascule pivots and operating machinery that raise
the central bridge deck allowing ships to pass are housed in the base of each tower.
The Thames Tunnel was a true ground breaker of its time.
Running for some 396 metres (1,300 feet) underneath the Thames at a depth of 23 metres at high
tide, this was the first tunnel to be successfully constructed under a navigable river and took
almost 20 years to complete, with works running from 1825 to 1843.
This feat was made possible by the invention of the “tunnelling shield” by Marc Isambard
Brunel and Thomas Cochrane. This shield allowed workers to excavate sections of earth behind
a protective wall that prevented the unstable ground from collapsing in on them.
As sections were excavated the shield would be inched forward using jacks, allowing the
newly exposed section of tunnel to be lined with bricks.
While it was originally intended for horse drawn carriages, the tunnel was never actually
used for this purpose and operated as a pedestrian route until 1865 when it was converted into
a rail tunnel. Today it serves as part of Transport for London’s overground network.
Moving out into the docklands, we come to one of the narrowest crossings anywhere along the river.
At just 2.7 meters (9 feet) in diameter, the Greenwich Foot tunnel is a pedestrian only
path beneath the Thames that connects Greenwich with the Isle of Dogs.
Opened in 1902 and running for 370 metres (1,215 feet), the tunnel forms part of the
United Kingdom's National Cycle Route 1, linking Inverness in Scotland all the way to Dover
on the south coast of England. Despite its significance on the cycle route,
riders are required to dismount through the tunnel.
Our next crossing is quite literally in a league of its own. Opened just ahead of the
London Olympic Games in 2012, the Emirates Air Line was the first urban cable car built
in the United Kingdom. The 1,100m (3,600 foot) gondola line travels
up to 90 metres (300 feet) above the surface of the Thames and is supported by three towers
along its route. It not only offers tourists a unique view
of the city, but it is an official part of the Transport for London network, linking
the Greenwich peninsula south of the Thames to the Royal Victoria Docks and the Docklands
Light Railway (DLR) on the north bank. During the Olympics, the Air Line provided
a useful link between the O2 and ExCel Arenas which were both hosting events.
Located just outside of London, the final stop on our journey down the Thames is the
heavily utilised Dartford Crossing. In fact consisting of three parts, the crossing
includes two tunnels and the impressive Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, linking Thurrock in Essex
with Dartford in Kent. Opened in three stages between 1963 and 1991,
the first tunnel at the crossing consisted of just one lane of traffic in each direction.
Rapid growth in the area led to a second tunnel being constructed in 1980, doubling capacity
with two lanes flowing north and south. Finally, following the completion of the M25
motorway in 1986, the Queen Elizabeth II bridge was built to further increase capacity.
The bridge’s four supporting pylons stand 137 metres high and suspend a roadway some
61 metres (200 feet) above the surface of the river. With a main span of 450 metres
(1,480 feet) the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge was the longest cable-stayed bridge in Europe
when it completed in 1991. Today, the Dartford Crossing consists of four
lanes of southbound traffic crossing the bridge, while all northbound traffic travels through
the two tunnels. It remains one of the busiest river crossings in Europe with over 160,000
vehicles using the route every day.
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