Blackfriars Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Blackfriars Bridge seen fromWaterloo Bridge | |
| Coordinates | 51°30′35″N0°06′16″W / 51.5097°N 0.1044°W /51.5097; -0.1044 |
| OS grid reference | TQ315807 |
| Carries | A201 road |
| Crosses | River Thames |
| Locale | London, England |
| Maintained by | Bridge House Estates, City of London Corporation |
| Heritage status | Grade II listed structure |
| Preceded by | Waterloo Bridge |
| Followed by | Blackfriars Railway Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Arch |
| Total length | 923 feet (281 m) |
| Width | 105 feet (32 m) |
| No. of spans | 5 |
| History | |
| Designer | Joseph Cubitt |
| Constructed by | P. A. Thom & Co. |
| Opened |
|
| Statistics | |
| Toll | No |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Blackfriars Bridge | |
Blackfriars Bridge is a road andfoot traffic bridge over theRiver Thames in London, betweenWaterloo Bridge andBlackfriars Railway Bridge, carrying theA201 road. The north end is in theCity of London near theInns of Court andTemple Church, along withBlackfriars station. The south end is in theLondon Borough of Southwark, near theTate Modern art gallery and theOxo Tower. Opened in the 1860s, it replaced an earlier bridge from the 1760s.
The first fixed crossing at Blackfriars was a 995-foot (303 m) longtoll bridge designed in an Italianate style byRobert Mylne and constructed with nine semi-elliptical arches of Portland stone. Beating designs byJohn Gwynn andGeorge Dance, it took nine years to build, opening to the public in 1769. It was the third bridge across the Thames in the then built-up area of London, supplementing the ancientLondon Bridge, which dated from several centuries earlier, andWestminster Bridge. It was originally named "William Pitt Bridge" (after the Prime MinisterWilliam Pitt the Elder) as a dedication, but its informal name relating to the precinct within the City named after the Blackfriars Monastery, aDominicanpriory which once stood nearby, was generally adopted. It was later made toll free.
TheCity of London Corporation was responsible for promoting it and the location between the other two bridges was chosen because it was realised that the disused wharfage of the lowerRiver Fleet from the Thames to what becameLudgate Circus would allow access into the north bank without unduly disrupting the neighbourhood; hence its name ofNew Bridge Street. The Fleet can be seen discharging into the Thames at its north side. By taking an access road from its southern landing to a junction with the routes created to simplify passage between those bridges to its east and west to the south it would also add to those improvements. This created the junction atSt George's Circus betweenWestminster Bridge Road,Borough Road and the later namedBlackfriars Road which crossed the largely open parish ofChristchurch Surrey. The continuation to the south at the major junction atElephant and Castle is therefore namedLondon Road.
Although it was built of Portland stone the workmanship was very faulty. Between 1833 and 1840 extensive repairs were necessary, until at last it was decided to build a new bridge on the same site, which coincided with the creation of theThames Embankment's junction with the newQueen Victoria Street and required a major reconfiguration.
The original Blackfriars Bridge was dismantled in 1860. P.A. Thom & Company won the contract for the bridge's reconstruction, and they placed an order with Lloyds, Foster and Company for the required ironwork.[1] However, P.A. Thom encountered difficulties in finding stable foundations for the bridge, which ultimately led to financial troubles. As a result, Lloyds, Foster and Company went bankrupt, suffering a loss of £250,000 on the project. The metalwork for the bridge was ultimately constructed by ThePatent Shaft and Axletree Company,Wednesbury, following their acquisition of Lloyds, Foster and Company.[2]
The present bridge which on 6 November 1869 was opened by Queen Victoria[3] is 923 feet (281 m) long, consisting of five wrought iron[4] arches built to a design byJoseph Cubitt. Cubitt also designed the adjacent rail bridge (now demolished) and it was a condition that the spans and piers of the two bridges be aligned. Like its predecessor it is owned and maintained by theBridge House Estates, a charitable trust overseen by theCity of London Corporation. TheBlackfriars and Southwark Bridges Act 1867 put the full length and its southern end within the city's borders, in the parish of St Anne Blackfriars, and not in the adjoining borough ofSouthwark. Due to the volume of traffic over the bridge, it was widened between 1907 and 1910, from 70 feet (21 m) to its present 105 feet (32 m).
On 14 September 1909 atram line was opened across the newly widened bridge by the Lord Mayor of London,George Wyatt Truscott.[5] It closed on 5 July 1952.
The bridge attracted some international attention in June 1982, when the body ofRoberto Calvi, a former chairman of Italy's largest private bank, was found hanging from one of its arches with five bricks and around $14,000 in three different currencies in his pockets. Calvi's death was initially treated as suicide, but he was on the run from Italy accused ofembezzlement and in 2002 forensic experts concluded that he had been murdered by theMafia, to whom he was indebted.[6] In 2005, five suspected members of the Mafia were tried in a Rome court for Calvi's murder, but all were acquitted in June 2007 for lack of evidence.[7]
On the piers of the bridge are stone carvings of water birds by sculptorJohn Birnie Philip. On the East (downstream) side (i.e. the side closer to theThames Estuary andNorth Sea), the carvings show marine life and seabirds; those on the West (upstream) side show freshwater birds – reflecting the role of Blackfriars as the tidal turning point.
On the north side of the bridge is a statue ofQueen Victoria (funded by SirAlfred Seale Haslam[8]), to whom the bridge was dedicated.
At the north end of the bridge is a commemorative plaque documenting the bridge's history, including its reopening in 1909 by Lord Mayor Truscott, accompanied by a relief of thecoat of arms of the City of London Corporation.[5]
The ends of the bridge are shaped like a pulpit in a reference to Black Friars.[9]
The bridge gave its name toBlackfriars Bridge railway station on the southern bank which opened in 1864 before closing to passengers in 1885 following the opening of what is today the mainBlackfriars station. Blackfriars Bridge station continued as a goods stop until 1964 when it was completely demolished, and much of it redeveloped into offices.
TheRiver Fleet empties into the Thames under the north end of Blackfriars Bridge. The structure was givenGrade II listed status in 1972.[10]
 | This sectionmay containirrelevant references topopular culture. Please helpimprove it by removing such content and addingcitations toreliable,independent sources.(August 2020) |
In 1774 the new bridge was mentioned in a popular song inCharles Dibdin's operaThe Waterman,[11] referring to the boatmen who used to carry fashionable folks toVauxhall Gardens andRanelagh Gardens.
And did you not hear of the jolly young waterman,
Who at Blackfriars Bridge used for to ply?
And he feathered his oars with such skill and dexterity,
Winning each heart and delighting each eye.
ABailey bridge constructed over theRiver Rhine atRees, Germany, in 1945 by theRoyal Canadian Engineers (R.C.E.) was named "Blackfriars Bridge", and, at 558 m (1814 ft) including the ramps at each end, was the longest Bailey bridge then constructed.[12]
InNeil Gaiman'sNeverwhere, "Blackfriars Bridge" was named as the home of an unknown order of monks who held the key to an angelic prison. The bridge is also featured in the lyrics of the song "The Resurrectionist" by thePet Shop Boys.
InLouis A. Meyer'sBloody Jack: Being An Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy, Jacky is introduced as an orphan in early 19th-century London who lives with her orphan gang under Blackfriars Bridge.
The bridge appears during the opening sequence of the filmHappy-Go-Lucky, where the main character rides across it on a bicycle. In the 1998 spy filmThe Avengers, the bridge is destroyed by atornado caused by a weather-changing machine built by a mad scientist when he causes a hurricane over London.[citation needed]
The bridge was featured in the filmHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007). The Order of the Phoenix passes under it on their flight from number four, Privet Drive to Grimmauld Place.
InTerry Gilliam'sThe Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009),Heath Ledger's character Tony is found hanging under the Blackfriars Bridge, described byTerry Gilliam as "an homage toRoberto Calvi".[13]
InCassandra Clare's book seriesThe Infernal Devices, Tessa Gray and Jem Carstairs meet at the bridge every year from 1878 to 2008 except for 1941 as it was deemed too dangerous due to World War II. They also get married there.[citation needed]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)The many difficulties encountered and innovations used in building the first Blackfriars Bridge 1759–69 are described in:
Bridges of Central London(west to east) | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
