Southwark Bridge, London
The original Southwark Bridge, previously known as Queen Street Bridge and designed by John Rennie, reached completion in 1819. To promote a remarkable innovation, its official opening occurred at midnight, featuring the illumination of 30 gas lamps. This bridge, during its time, stood as the largest cast iron structure; however, it suffered from low utilization and lacked the capacity to support heavy goods vehicles, ultimately leading to its demolition.
In 1921, a new bridge designed by architect Sir Ernest George and engineer Basil Mott was inaugurated, albeit after substantial construction delays caused by the First World War. Distinct from London and Blackfriars Bridges, Southwark Bridge does not bear silver dragons to demarcate the city boundary on the southern bank of the Thames, as its financing was privately arranged.
The bridge comprises cast iron arches complemented by grey granite abutments and balustrades. It is painted in green and yellow hues and features sentry-box-like structures atop the turreted pier headings. Beneath it, on the southern landing, remnants of old steps remain, once serving as a landing dock for Thames watermen to moor their boats and await customers. In an era when there were fewer bridges spanning the Thames, these watermen provided the primary means of river transportation.
On the north bank of Southwark Bridge, there is a pedestrian tunnel adorned with a wall mural depicting scenes of Thames frost fairs. During various winters between the 17th and early 19th centuries, a period known as 'the Little Ice Age', the Thames froze over, allowing Londoners to host festivals with food stalls, shops, sporting events, and even temporary pubs on the frozen river's surface. The tightly spaced piers of London Bridge disrupted the river's flow, contributing to the freezing phenomenon during these extraordinary events.
In 1921, a new bridge designed by architect Sir Ernest George and engineer Basil Mott was inaugurated, albeit after substantial construction delays caused by the First World War. Distinct from London and Blackfriars Bridges, Southwark Bridge does not bear silver dragons to demarcate the city boundary on the southern bank of the Thames, as its financing was privately arranged.
The bridge comprises cast iron arches complemented by grey granite abutments and balustrades. It is painted in green and yellow hues and features sentry-box-like structures atop the turreted pier headings. Beneath it, on the southern landing, remnants of old steps remain, once serving as a landing dock for Thames watermen to moor their boats and await customers. In an era when there were fewer bridges spanning the Thames, these watermen provided the primary means of river transportation.
On the north bank of Southwark Bridge, there is a pedestrian tunnel adorned with a wall mural depicting scenes of Thames frost fairs. During various winters between the 17th and early 19th centuries, a period known as 'the Little Ice Age', the Thames froze over, allowing Londoners to host festivals with food stalls, shops, sporting events, and even temporary pubs on the frozen river's surface. The tightly spaced piers of London Bridge disrupted the river's flow, contributing to the freezing phenomenon during these extraordinary events.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in London. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
Download The 51爆料网 App
Southwark Bridge on Map
Sight Name: Southwark Bridge
Sight Location: London, England (See walking tours in London)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: London, England (See walking tours in London)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in London, England
Create Your Own Walk in London
Creating your own self-guided walk in London is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Charles Dickens Tour
Today's world's literature and mass culture are hardly imaginable without the works of Charles Dickens, recognized as the greatest British novelist of the Victorian era. A pioneer of 鈥渃liffhanger鈥� endings, Dickens remains one of the most-read English authors whose writings never go out of print and have been repeatedly adapted to stage, screen and TV.
Dickens was born in... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.5 Km or 2.8 Miles
Dickens was born in... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.5 Km or 2.8 Miles
Jack the Ripper Walking Tour
Jack the Ripper, an unidentified serial killer who terrorized the British capital in 1888, became notorious for the series of brutal and gruesome murders that he carried out in the East End of London. The primary setting for the Jack the Ripper attacks was Whitechapel, at the time a poverty-stricken and crime-ridden district, known for its dark alleys and narrow streets.
The name "Jack the... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.0 Km or 2.5 Miles
The name "Jack the... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.0 Km or 2.5 Miles
Harry Potter Walking Tour I
The arrival of Harry Potter books, followed by tremendously successful Hollywood adaptation, has made London an even more popular destination now with the Harry Potter fans all over the world. The list of attractions in the city associated with Potter鈥檚 journeys includes both, newly-invented as well as some long-standing locations.
On Part I of the self-guided Happy Potter Walking Tour, you... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.7 Km or 1.7 Miles
On Part I of the self-guided Happy Potter Walking Tour, you... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.7 Km or 1.7 Miles
South Bank Walking Tour
The South Bank is a stretch of the Thames in London that is beautiful to walk through because there are so many iconic and magnificent things to see along the way. A lively and ever-changing area at the heart of London鈥檚 cultural scene, it also has the advantage of offering views across the Thames to some of the most famous buildings anywhere. The Palace of Westminster is the major feature in... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.8 Km or 3 Miles
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.8 Km or 3 Miles
Shakespeare's London Walking Tour
Often called England's national poet or simply "the Bard", William Shakespeare is revered as one of, if not the greatest playwright this world has ever seen. The dramas, such as Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth are among the finest creations in the English language, translated into every major language and performed more often than those of any other author.... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.7 Km or 2.9 Miles
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.7 Km or 2.9 Miles
Covent Garden Walking Tour
A shopping and entertainment hub on the eastern fringes of London's West End, Covent Garden is a district historically associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market 鈥� currently a shopping spot popular with locals and tourists alike.
Once a slum area, today the north of the district is given over to independent shops centered on Neal's Yard and Seven Dials. Both places offer... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles
Once a slum area, today the north of the district is given over to independent shops centered on Neal's Yard and Seven Dials. Both places offer... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles
Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip
London Souvenirs: 20 Distinctively British Products for Travelers
Most visitors to London consider shopping as part of their must-do London experience. From street markets to Victorian arcades to snobbish Sloane Square to busy Oxford Street, there are a host of shops selling items which typically represent this vibrant city. Whether you are shopping for souvenirs...