London Bridge
Unknown photographer
Date: postmarked "APL 8 [19]06"
Publisher: S. Hildesheimer & Co., London and Manchester.
From the collection of Professor Ernest Chew, National University of Singapore
Victorian commentary
"London Bridge built in 1824-27 from the designs of John Rennie, architect of Southwark and Waterloo Bridges, partly by himself, partly by his son Mr. J. Rennie. The cost, from various causes, was enormous, and a good deal of misapprehension seems to exist upon this point; some authorities placing it at a little under a million and a half, while others give it at over two and a half millions. It is built of granite in five arches; the centre arch being 152 ft., the two next 140 ft., and the two shore arches 130 ft. each, in span. In order to facilitate traffic, police-constables are stationed along the middle of the roadway, and all vehicles travelling at a walking pace only are compelled to keep close to the kerb. There are still, however, frequent blocks, and the bridge should be avoided much as possible, especially between 9 and 10 a.m. and 4 and 6 pm. This periodical congestion of London-bridge, and, still more, of its approaches, is a very serious matter, and various schemes have been proposed for widening the bridge so that all the existing space could be devoted to vehicular traffic, while the pedestrians could be relegated to what may be called annexes, but for some reason or other they have all fallen through. The accepted scherne is that for building a bridge lower down, which is now in progress. NEAREST Ry. Stns., Cannon-st (S.E.) and Monument (Met. and Dis.) (north side), and London-br (S.E. and L.B. & S.C.) (south side); Omnibus Rtes., Cannon-st, King, William-st, London-br, and Southbank-st." -- Dickens's Dictionary of London 1888, p. 153.
References
Dickens, Charles. Dickens's Dictionary of London 1888. Moretonhampstead, Devon: Old House Books, 2001. [Information on this reprint of the guide to London written by the novelist's son.]
Last modified 10 October 2001