London Bridge connects the City with Southwark. This is the fourth London Bridge to span the river at this point. The first one, made of wood, was built by the Romans, following their invasion in 43AD. The early 13th century saw the first stone bridge, which for many centuries was the only means of crossing the Thames in London.
The bridge was more than just a river crossing though. It had its own chapel and many shops and houses too. The third one was designed by John Rennie and built in 1832 by his son, after his death. In 1967 an American bought it for £1 million. It was painstakingly dismantled and then reconstructed in the Arizona Desert where it still stands, and carries three lanes of traffic.
William McGonagall (1825-1902) found the bridge extremely busy when he visited London and wrote his awful poem 'Jottings of London'. The bridge also inspired the famous nursery rhyme 'London Bridge is falling down'!
The current rather dull looking bridge was completed in 1972.
Address: London Bridge, Southwark, London, SE1 2SY
Nearest Underground (Tube) Stations: London Bridge and Monument