Chelsea Bridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 51°29′5″N0°9′0″W / 51.48472°N 0.15000°W /51.48472; -0.15000 |
| Carries | A3216 road |
| Crosses | River Thames |
| Locale | Battersea andChelsea, London |
| Maintained by | Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council |
| Heritage status | Grade II listed structure |
| Preceded by | Albert Bridge |
| Followed by | Grosvenor Railway Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Self-anchored suspension bridge |
| Material | Steel |
| Total length | 698 feet (213 m) |
| Width | 64 feet (20 m) |
| Height | 69 feet 2 inches (21.08 m) |
| Longest span | 332 feet (101 m) |
| No. of spans | 3 |
| Piers in water | 2 |
| Clearance below | 42 feet 9 inches (13.03 m) atlowest astronomical tide[1] |
| History | |
| Designer | G. Topham Forrest andE. P. Wheeler |
| Opened | 6 May 1937; 88 years ago (1937-05-06) |
| Replaces | Victoria Bridge (1858–1935), also known as Old Chelsea Bridge |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 29,375 vehicles (2004)[2] |
| Location | |
 | |
Chelsea Bridge is a bridge over theRiver Thames in westLondon, connectingChelsea on the north bank toBattersea on the south bank, and split between theCity of Westminster, theLondon Borough of Wandsworth and theRoyal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. There have been two Chelsea Bridges, on the site of what was an ancientford.
The first Chelsea Bridge was proposed in the 1840s as part of a major development of marshlands on the south bank of the Thames into the newBattersea Park. It was asuspension bridge intended to provide convenient access from the densely populated north bank to the new park. Although built and operated by the government,tolls were charged initially in an effort to recoup the cost of the bridge. Work on the nearbyChelsea Embankment delayed construction and so the bridge, initially calledVictoria Bridge, did not open until 1858. Although well-received architecturally, as a toll bridge it was unpopular with the public, and Parliament felt obliged to make it toll-free on Sundays. The bridge was less of a commercial success than had been anticipated, partly because of competition from the newly builtAlbert Bridge nearby. It was acquired by theMetropolitan Board of Works in 1877, and the tolls were abolished in 1879.
The bridge was narrow and structurally unsound, leading the authorities to rename it Chelsea Bridge to avoid the royal family's association with a potential collapse. In 1926 it was proposed that the old bridge be rebuilt or replaced, due to the increased volume of users from population growth, and the introduction of the automobile. It was demolished during 1934–1937, and replaced by the current structure, which opened in 1937.
The new bridge was the firstself-anchored suspension bridge in Britain, and was built entirely with materials sourced from within theBritish Empire. During the early 1950s it became popular withmotorcyclists, who staged regular races across the bridge. One such meeting in 1970 erupted into violence, resulting in the death of one man and the imprisonment of 20 others. Chelsea Bridge is floodlit from below during the hours of darkness, when the towers and cables are illuminated by 936 feet (285 m) oflight-emitting diodes. In 2008 it achievedGrade II listed status.[3] In 2004 a footbridge was opened beneath the southern span, carrying theThames Path under the bridge.
The Red House Inn was an isolatedinn on the south bank of theRiver Thames in the marshlands by Battersea fields, about one mile (1.6 km) east of the developed street of the prosperous farming village ofBattersea.[4] Not on any major road, its isolation and lack of any police presence made it a popular destination for visitors fromLondon andWestminster since the 16th century, who would travel to the Red House bywherry, attracted by Sundaydog fighting,bare-knuckle boxing bouts and illegalhorse racing.[4][5] Because of its lawless nature, Battersea Fields was also a popular area forduelling, and was the venue for the1829 duel between the thenPrime Minister theDuke of Wellington and theEarl of Winchilsea.[4]
The town ofChelsea, on the north bank of the Thames about three miles (4.8 km) west of Westminster, was an important industrial centre. Although by the 19th century its role as the centre of the Britishporcelain industry had been overtaken by theWest Midlands,[6] its riverside location and good roads made it an important centre for the manufacture of goods to serve the nearby and rapidly growing London.[7]
TheChelsea Waterworks Company occupied a site on the north bank of the Thames opposite the Red House Inn. Founded in 1723, the company pumped water from the Thames toreservoirs around Westminster through a network of hollowelm trunks.[8] As London spread westwards, the former farmland to the west became increasingly populated,[n 1] and the Thames became seriously polluted withsewage and animal carcasses.[8] In 1852 Parliament banned water from being taken from the Thames downstream ofTeddington, forcing the Chelsea Waterworks Company to move upstream toSeething Wells.[8]
Since 1771, Battersea and Chelsea had been linked by the modest woodenBattersea Bridge.[9] As London grew following the advent of the railways, Chelsea began to become congested, and in 1842 theCommission of Woods, Forests, and Land Revenues recommended the building of anembankment at Chelsea to free new land for development, and proposed the building of a new bridge downstream of Battersea Bridge and the replacement of Battersea Bridge with a more modern structure.[10]
In the early 1840sThomas Cubitt andJames Pennethorne had proposed a plan to use 150,000tons of rocks and earth from the excavation of theRoyal Victoria Dock to infill the marshy Battersea Fields and create a large public park to serve the growing population of Chelsea.[4][11][12] In 1846 the Commissioners of Woods and Forests purchased the Red House Inn and 200 acres (0.81 km2) of surrounding land, and work began on the development that would becomeBattersea Park.[4] It was expected that with the opening of the park the volume of cross river traffic would increase significantly, putting further strain on the dilapidated Battersea Bridge.[13]
Consequently, theBattersea Bridge and Embankment, etc. Act 1846 (9 & 10 Vict. c. 39) authorised the building of a newtoll bridge on the site of an ancientford exactly one mile (1.6 km) downstream of Battersea Bridge.[14][n 2] The approach road on the southern side was to run along the side of the new park, while that on the northern side was to run fromSloane Square, through the former Chelsea Waterworks site, to the new bridge.[8] Although previous toll bridges in the area had been built and operated by private companies, the new bridge was to be built and operated by the government, under the control of theMetropolitan Improvement Commission, despite protests in Parliament fromRadicals objecting to the government profiting from a toll-paying bridge.[14] It was intended that the bridge would be made toll-free once the costs of building it had been recouped.[15]
EngineerThomas Page was appointed to build the bridge, and presented the commission with several potential designs, including a seven-span stone bridge, a five-span cast iron arch bridge, and asuspension bridge.[14] The commission selected the suspension bridge design, and work began in 1851 on the new bridge, to be called the Victoria Bridge.[15]
Page's design was typical of suspension bridges of the period, and consisted of awrought irondeck and four 97-foot (30 m) cast iron towers supporting chains, which in turn supported the weight of the deck.[15][16] The towers rested on a pair of timber and cast ironpiers.[15] The towers passed through the deck, meaning that between the towers the road was seven feet (2.1 m) narrower than on the rest of the bridge.[15] Although work had begun in 1851 delays in the closure of the Chelsea Waterworks, which only completed its relocation to Seething Wells in 1856, caused lengthy delays to the project,[8] and theEdinburgh-made ironwork was only transported to the site in 1856.[16]
Victoria Bridge was 703 feet (214 m) long with a central span of 333 feet (101 m),[15] and the roadway was 32 feet (9.8 m) wide with a 7-foot-6-inch (2.29 m) footpath on either side, making a total width of 47 feet (14 m).[15] Large lamps were set at the tops of the four towers, which were only to be lit whenQueen Victoria was spending the night in London.[17] The central span was inscribed with the date of construction and the words "Gloria Deo in Excelsis" ("Glory to God in the Highest").[16] It took seven years to build, at a total cost of £90,000 (about £11.4 million in 2023).[13][18] The controversial tolls were collected from octagonal stone tollhouses at each end of the bridge.[16]
As with the earlier construction of nearby Battersea Bridge,[19] during excavations workers found large quantities ofRoman andCeltic weapons and skeletons in the riverbed, leading many historians to conclude that the area was the site ofJulius Caesar's crossing of the Thames during the 54 BCinvasion of Britain.[14] The most significant item found was theCelticLa Tène style bronze and enamelBattersea Shield, one of the most important pieces of Celtic military equipment found in Britain, recovered from the riverbed during dredging for the piers.[8][n 3]
A fairy structure, with its beautiful towers, gilded and painted to resemble light coloured bronze, and crowned with globular lamps, diffusing light all around.[20]
On 31 March 1858 Queen Victoria, accompanied by two of her daughters anden route to the formal opening of Battersea Park, crossed the new bridge and declared it officially open, naming it the Victoria Bridge;[16] it was opened to the public three days later, on 3 April 1858.[13] The design met with great critical acclaim, particularly from theIllustrated London News.[16]
Shortly after its opening, concerns were raised about the bridge's safety. Following an inspection byJohn Hawkshaw andEdwin Clark in 1861, an additional support chain was added on each side.[15] Despite the strengthening there were still concerns about its soundness, and a weight limit of 5tons was imposed.[15] At the same time, the name was changed from Victoria Bridge to Chelsea Bridge, as the government was concerned about the reliability of suspension bridges and did not want a potential collapse to be associated with the Queen.[11]
Although reasonably well used, it was unpopular with the public, who objected to being obliged to pay tolls to use it. On 4 July 1857, almost a year before the bridge's opening, ademonstration against the tolls attracted 6,000 residents.[11] Concerns were raised in Parliament that poorer industrial workers in Chelsea, which had no large parks of its own, would be unable to afford to use the new park in Battersea.[13] Bowing to public pressure, shortly after the bridge opened Parliament declared it free to use for pedestrians on Sundays, and in 1875 it was also made toll-free on public holidays.[13] Additionally, because the main lights were only turned on when Queen Victoria was staying in London, it was poorly used at night.[17] Despite this, the new Battersea Park was extremely popular, particularly the sporting facilities; on 9 January 1864 the park staged the world's first official game ofassociation football.[12][n 4]
In 1873 the privately ownedAlbert Bridge, between Chelsea and Battersea bridges, opened.[21] Although Albert Bridge was not as successful as intended at luring customers from Chelsea Bridge and soon found itself in serious financial difficulties,[10] it nonetheless caused a sharp drop in usage of Chelsea Bridge.[22] TheMetropolis Toll Bridges Act 1877 (40 & 41 Vict. c. xcix) was passed, which allowed theMetropolitan Board of Works (MBW) to buy all London bridges betweenHammersmith andWaterloo bridges and free them from tolls.[23] Ownership of Chelsea Bridge was transferred to the MBW in 1877 at a cost of £75,000 (about £8.39 million in 2023),[24] and on 24 May 1879 Chelsea Bridge, Battersea Bridge and Albert Bridge were declared toll free by thePrince of Wales in a brief ceremony, after which a parade ofChelsea Pensioners marched across the bridge to Battersea Park.[13][18][25]
Its kiosques and gilt finials, its travesty of Gothic architecture in cast iron, its bad construction and its text of 'Gloria Deo in Excelsis' above the arch between the piers, are redolent of 1851, the year of theGreat Exhibition, thelocus classicus of bad art, false enthusiasms and shams.[26]
By the early 20th century, Chelsea Bridge was in poor condition. It was unable to carry the increasing volume of traffic caused by the growth of London and the increasing usage of theautomobile; between 1914 and 1929 use of the bridge almost doubled from 6,500 to 12,600 vehicles per day.[12] In addition, parts of its structure were beginning to work loose,[13] and in 1922 the gildedfinials on the towers had to be removed because of concerns that they would fall off.[12][26] Architectural opinion had turned heavily against Victorian styles and Chelsea Bridge was now deeply unpopular with architects; former President of theRoyal Institute of British ArchitectsReginald Blomfield spoke vehemently against its design in 1921,[11] and there were few people supporting the preservation of the old bridge.[26] In 1926 theRoyal Commission on Cross-river Traffic recommended that Chelsea Bridge be rebuilt or replaced.[26]
In 1931 theLondon County Council (LCC) proposed demolishing Chelsea Bridge and replacing it with a modern six-lane bridge at a cost of £695,000 (about £59.6 million in 2023).[18][26] Because of the economic crisis of theGreat Depression theMinistry of Transport refused to fund the project and the LCC was unable to raise the funds elsewhere. However, in an effort to boost employment in the Battersea area, which had suffered badly in the depression, the Ministry of Transport agreed tounderwrite 60% of the costs of a cheaper four-lane bridge costing £365,000 (about £31.3 million in 2023),[18][27] on condition that all materials used in the building of the bridge be sourced from within theBritish Empire.[17]
In 1934 a temporary footbridge which had previously been used during rebuilding works onLambeth Bridge was moved into place alongside Chelsea Bridge, and demolition began.[28] The new bridge, also called Chelsea Bridge, was designed by LCC architectsG. Topham Forrest andE. P. Wheeler and built byHolloway Brothers (London). Much wider than the older bridge at 64 feet (20 m) wide, it has a 40-foot (12 m) wide roadway and two 12-foot (3.7 m) wide pavementscantilevered out from the sides of the bridge.[13] Uniquely in London, Chelsea Bridge is aself-anchored suspension bridge, the first of the type to be built in Britain.[29] The horizontal stresses are absorbed by stiffening girders in thedeck itself and the suspension cables are not anchored to the ground, relieving stress on theabutments which are built on soft and unstableLondon clay.[28] The piers of the new bridge were built on the site of the old bridge's piers, and are built ofconcrete, faced withgranite above the low-water point.[28] Each side of the bridge has a single suspension cable, each made up of 377⁄8-inch (23mm) diameterwire ropes bundled to form a hexagonal cable.[28][29] As was agreed with the Ministry of Transport, all materials used in the bridge came from the British Empire; the steel came fromScotland andYorkshire, the granite of the piers fromAberdeen andCornwall, the timbers of the deck fromBritish Columbia and theasphalt of the roadway fromTrinidad.[17]
Because the self-anchored structure relies on the roadway itself to absorb stresses, the suspension cables could not be installed until the roadway was built; however, until the cables were in place the roadway could not be supported. To resolve this problem, Topham had the roadway built in sections, supported on very tallbarges. The barges were floated into place at low tide, and the rising tide was used to lift the sections above the height of the piers. As the tide ebbed, the roadway dropped into place.[13][17]
The recently builtBattersea Power Station then dominated most views of the area, so it was decided that the bridge's appearance was unimportant.[27] Consequently, in contrast to the heavily ornamented 1858 bridge, the new bridge has a starklyutilitarian design and the only ornamentation consists of two ornamentallamp posts at each entrance.[27] Each features agildedgalleon on top of acoat of arms. The outward facing sides of all four posts show theLCC coat of arms of theLion of England,St George's Cross and thebarrywavy lines representing the Thames; the inward faces on the south side show thedove of peace of theMetropolitan Borough of Battersea, that on the northwest corner shows the winged bull, lion, boars' heads and stag of theMetropolitan Borough of Chelsea, and that on the northeast corner theportcullis andTudor roses of theMetropolitan Borough of Westminster.[30]
The new bridge was completed five months ahead of schedule and within the £365,000 budget.[30] It was opened on 6 May 1937 by thePrime Minister of Canada,William Lyon Mackenzie King, who was in London for thecoronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.[30][n 5]
Two years after the bridge's opening theSecond World War broke out. Because of their close proximity toChelsea Barracks it was expected that enemy bombers would target the three road bridges in the area, and a temporary bridge was built parallel to Chelsea Bridge. As with the four other temporary Thames bridges built in this period, it was built of steel girders supported by wooden stakes; however, despite its flimsy appearance it was a sturdy structure, capable of supportingtanks and other heavy military equipment.[31] As it turned out, no enemy action took place in the area, and all three bridges survived the war undamaged. The temporary bridge was dismantled in 1945.[31]
Beginning in the 1950s, Chelsea Bridge became a favourite meeting place formotorcyclists, who would race across the bridge on Friday nights.[30] On 17 October 1970 a serious confrontation took place on Chelsea Bridge between theEssex and Chelsea chapters of theHells Angels, and rivalmotorcycle gangs theRoad Rats,Nightingales,Windsor Angels andJokers.[31][32] Around 50 people took part in the fight; weapons used includedmotorcycle chains,flick knives and at least onespiked flail. One member of the Jokers was shot with asawn-off shotgun and fatally wounded,[32] and 20 of those present were sentenced to between one and twelve years' imprisonment.[31]
In the 1970s Chelsea Bridge was painted bright red and white, prompting a number of complaints fromChelsea F.C. fans that Chelsea Bridge had been painted inArsenal colours.[33] In 2007 it was redecorated in a less controversial red, blue and white colour scheme.[30] Chelsea Bridge is now floodlit from beneath at night and 936 feet (285 m) oflight-emitting diodes strung along the towers and suspension chains,[34] intended to complement the illuminations of the nearby Albert Bridge.[33] Although motorcyclists still meet on the bridge, following complaints from residents about the noise their racing has been curtailed.[30][35]
Chelsea Bridge was declared aGrade II listed structure in 2008, providing protection to preserve its character from further alteration.[36] Battersea Park still retains Cubitt and Pennethorne's original layout and features, including a riverfrontpromenade, a formalavenue through the centre of the park and multiple animal enclosures.[12]
On the eastern side of the bridge, at the southern end, a major new residential development of 600 homes calledChelsea Bridge Wharf has been built,[37] as part of long-term plans to regenerate the long-derelict former industrial sites around Battersea Power Station.[12]
To link the new developments around Battersea Power Station to Battersea Park, in 2004 a curved footbridge was built beneath the southern end of Chelsea Bridge.[38] The footbridge was built offsite in four sections, transported by road to theKing George V Dock where it was assembled, and the completed structure floated down the river and hoisted into position.[38] It is planned that once the riverfront in the area has been opened to the public, following the completion of the rebuilding of Battersea Power Station into a commercial development, the new bridge will form part of theThames Path.[12][39] The new bridge curves out from the bank, overhanging the river bank by 33 feet (10 m), and cost £600,000 to build.[38]
Bibliography
