It's surprising for some tourists to discover that Arizona acquired an historically significant structure from London, England. However, who would have fathomed that the famous 19th Century
London Bridge was dismantled, transported and reconstructed, stone by stone, in Lake Havasu City, Arizona!
History of London Bridge
According to Wikipedia, there has been a bridge in the same locale over the Thames River since about 50 A.D., where Roman soldiers used the wooden bridge for armies occupying the settlement of "Londinium" (now London).
By 55 A.D., a piled bridge was constructed, but was destroyed in 60 A.D. by Queen Boudicca. The rebel victory was short-lived, and the Roman Armies built a new walled town and bridge in close proximity to London's present-day Bridge. After the Roman Armies exited, the bridge fell into disrepair. During the Saxon period, it merely served as a political boundary between Wessex and Mercia.
History tells us of Viking invasions, reoccupation by Alfred the Great, Aethelred's reign, and Norwegian Prince Olaf, who pulled down the bridge to successfully divide the Danes, holding the City of London as well as Southwark, and subsequently regaining London for the Anglo-Saxon king. Subsequent storms, tornados and fires destroyed the bridge. During this era, a well-known nursery rhyme, "London Bridge is Falling Down" became popular.
"Old" (Medieval) London Bridge
In 1176, construction began on the "Old" (Medieval) London Bridge, this time made of stone, and including the St. Thomas Chapel at the center. After 33 years of forced labor, the bridge was finished in 1209 during King John's reign. Soon thereafter, John licensed the building of shops and houses on the bridge in order to derive revenue for its maintenance. The "Old" bridge had 19 small arches. and a drawbridge, with a gatehouse at the southern end. The bridge measured about 26-feet wide, but when almost 200 shops took up seven feet on each side of the bridge, only 12 feet remained for horses, carts, wagons and pedestrians traveling in both directions. Over the years, several arches collapsed, and buildings on the bridge burned during Wat Tyler's Peasants' Revolt in 1381, and Jack Cade's rebellion in 1450. Finally, by Act of Parliament in June 1756, permission was obtained to demolish all shops and houses on London Bridge, and removal was carried out between 1758 and 1762.
It is interesting to note that from 1305 to 1660, the southern gatehouse hosted the gory sights of severed heads of "traitors" impaled on pikes, beginning with William Wallace (a.k.a. Braveheart), Jack Cade, Thomas More, and Bishop John Fisher.
"
New" (19th-century) London Bridge
By 1799, competition was held for designs to replace the narrow and decrepit 600-year-old bridge. Engineer John Rennie's design, a five-arch stone bridge, was approved and work began on June 15, 1824. The "New" (19th-century) London Bridge opened on August 1, 1831, at a cost of 2.5-million pounds. Its length was 928 feet, and width 49 feet. Haytor
granite was used in the construction. As a friend said, "You can just feel the stories told in these stones...".
Between 1902 and 1904, the bridge was widened to 65 feet. However, by 1924, it became obvious that the widening had caused too much stress on the foundations; the east end of the bridge was three to four inches lower than that of the west.
London Bridge Sold to Arizona Entrepreneur By 1967, the Common Council of the City of London placed Rennie's London Bridge on the market in order for a new, modern bridge to be built over the Thames. This was when Arizona got really lucky! American entrepreneur Robert P. McCulloch purchased the bridge for $2,460,000. Each granite stone from the bridge was numbered before dismantling to aid in the reassembly over Lake Havasu City's Bridgewater Channel.
Arizona's London Bridge was dedicated on October 10, 1971. It now overlooks an English-style Tudor village and shopping mall. Several top-rated restaurants and hotels are in close proximity to the bridge.
Visit London Bridge this Holiday Season the annual Festival of
Lights is celebrated now through
New Year's Day. The English Village shoppes and London Bridge are trimmed beautifully!
The London Bridge Yacht Club's ""Boat Parade of Lights" is scheduled for December 3 and 4, 2010, beginning at 6 p.m. This year's theme is "Toys on Parade. " Boats will pass under London Bridge adorned with
Christmas lights reflecting on the water to delight folks from 2 to 92! If you arrive early, you may secure a table at the
Javelina Cantina and enjoy the boat parade while dining on delicious tacos, carne asada enchiladas, and pomegranate margaritas on the patio.
Decked out bikes, cars, quads and other rolling vehicles will parade along Main Street (McCullough Boulevard between Smoketree Avenue and Acoma Boulevard) from 6 to 8 p.m. on December 11.
These Lake Havasu events are free for all to enjoy.
