London Bridge Facts 

London has plenty of bridges crossing the River Thames, but London Bridge is one of the oldest and most well-known of all the Thames’ bridges. To learn more about its fascinating past take a look at our history of London Bridge blog for plenty of information!

But not only does it have a fascinating past, it also has some interesting facts you might be interested to learn about! Let’s look at some fascinating facts about one of London’s oldest and most famous bridges.

London Bridge is not Tower Bridge!

When people think of London Bridge, it’s easy to mix it up with Tower Bridge which is located about half a mile east. In fact, if you google ‘London Bridge’, the first image you see is Tower Bridge! 

However, the design of the bridges couldn’t be more different! Tower Bridge was built in 1894 and has a Neo-Gothic design, which features two large towers and a drawbridge to allow tall ships to pass through. Whereas London Bridge has a much simpler design and is made from steel and concrete.

It was built in 43AD

London Bridge is the oldest river crossing in London. In Roman Britain, a wooden bridge was built at the site of London Bridge to allow the Romans quick access across the Thames. It was built by laying wooden planks across anchored boats, which is called a pontoon bridge.

The old London Bridge is now in Arizona

You read that right. When the current London Bridge was commissioned to be built, the old London Bridge was bought by an American entrepreneur called Robert Paxton McCulloch in 1968. He bought the bridge for £1.02 million and between 1968 and 1971, the bridge was dismantled and shipped to Lake Havasu City in Arizona.

It was rebuilt across the Colorado River and is a popular tourist attraction that helps connect Lake Havasu City drivers and pedestrians.

There are pieces of the old London Bridge dotted around

Walking around the London Bridge area, you’ll find some pieces of the old London Bridge used as places to sit across the borough. Have a walk around and see if you can spot any!

You used to have to pay to use London Bridge

Walkers and carriages used to have to pay to cross the bridge to help manage congestion but also as it was one of the sole crossings across the river, it helped bring in a lot of money to the city! 

It’s a very busy bridge

It’s still a very popular bridge for people crossing the river. In fact, it is estimated that over 40,000 people use it every single day! Now that’s a busy bridge! 

London Bridge Hotel

The London Bridge Hotel is located next to the Shard, so is only a few minutes walk from this famous bridge. If you are looking for a place to stay then take a look at our wonderfully welcoming rooms we have available. Looking to stay on a weekend? We have some great weekend deals starting from £129 a night – a fantastic price for such a great location!