The only parts of the “New London Bridge” that made it to Arizona were the exterior masonry. The Arizona bridge is a reinforced concrete structure clad in the original masonry of the 1830s bridge.
And if you believe that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you!
I find another part of this story pretty wild- The US ‘rebuild’ was done over dry land, then a canal was dug underneath.
The old new London Bridge.
Not the old London bridge, or the current London Bridge, but the bridge that replaced the old London Bridge and the current London Bridge replaced.
Secondhand bridge.
Was the old old London bridge the cool Tudor one that the burnt down in the nursery rhyme?
Also not to be confused with tower bridge which is the one everyone that doesn’t live in London calls London bridge.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bridges_in_London
In a sense, I suppose that all of those are London bridges.
There’s also a common (and completely untrue) urban legend that the guy thought he was buying tower bridge, not London bridge.
There’s a fun video on the history of old/medium/new London bridge in Jay Foreman’s Unfinished London series:
old/medium/new
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Bridge_(disambiguation)
London Bridge, one of several bridges over the River Thames in central London, England
- London Bridge (Roman times)
- London Bridge (Early medieval times)
- London Bridge (1209) (or “Old London Bridge”)
- London Bridge (1831) (or “New London Bridge”), the replacement for the 1209 London Bridge (see also Lake Havasu City entry below)
- London Bridge (1973), the present-day London Bridge and replacement for the 1831 bridge
It sounds like there’s the old, the very old, the very very old, the new-but-now-old, and the new.
I’m not really counting the first two, as they were more temporary wooden bridges. The 1209 London Bridge was the first, proper, permanent bridge across the Thames.
It’s crazy how famous London Bridge is, it’s literally the most boring bridge in London. It’s so boring that people think the bridge next to it is London Bridge.
I mean it was the first ever permanent bridge crossing the Thames, and for a long time it was the only bridge in the entirety of east London (despite barely being east of the east-west midpoint of London). London bridge has a lot of interesting history, even if the current one is visually boring.
Jay Foreman has a fun video on the history of London Bridge (https://youtu.be/u5CguqywlBk)
It’s crazy how famous London Bridge is
I grew up hearing “London Bridge Is Falling Down” in the US. My guess is that there isn’t an analogous nursery rhyme of comparable fame for London’s other bridges.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Bridge_Is_Falling_Down
“London Bridge Is Falling Down” (also known as “My Fair Lady” or “London Bridge”) is a traditional English nursery rhyme and singing game, which is found in different versions all over the world. It deals with the dilapidation of London Bridge and attempts, realistic or fanciful, to repair it. It may date back to bridge-related rhymes and games of the Late Middle Ages, but the earliest records of the rhyme in English are from the 17th century. The lyrics were first printed in close to their modern form in the mid-18th century and became popular, particularly in Britain and the United States, during the 19th century.
The rhyme is often used in a children’s singing game, which exists in a wide variety of forms, with additional verses. Most versions are similar to the actions used in the rhyme “Oranges and Lemons”. The most common is that two players hold hands and make an arch with their arms while the others pass through in single file. The “arch” is then lowered at the song’s end to “catch” a player. In the United States, it is common for two teams of those that have been caught to engage in a tug of war.[2]
I remember doing the arch thing.
Canadian approach: build one’s own London, own Thames, and own Blackfriars Bridge:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackfriars_Bridge
Blackfriars Bridge in London, Ontario, Canada is a wrought iron bowstring arch through truss bridge, crossing the North Thames River. The bridge was constructed in 1875 and carries single-lane vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians from Blackfriars Street to Ridout Street North.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London,_Ontario
London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River and North Thames River, approximately 200 km (120 mi) from both Toronto and Detroit; and about 230 km (140 mi) from Buffalo, New York.
Blackfriars Bridge in London, Ontario, Canada is a wrought iron bowstring arch through truss bridge, crossing the North Thames River. The bridge was constructed in 1875 and carries single-lane vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians from Blackfriars Street to Ridout Street North.
American approach:
Buy the actual bridge in London and ship it over.
The Lake Havasu version is a fake. It’s just a stone facade over a modern bridge.
Also, they sold scrap stone as souvenirs. I have a piece of the London Bridge. Just like this one. https://www.ebay.com/itm/335394715500
