![]() There was a huge problem though! The construction had a huge price tag attached to it, meaning King Henry II needed to raise taxes on wool and sheepskins.įun fact about the first stone London Bridge: Raising taxes on wool started the story that London Bridge was built on wool packs. In the middle, there was a chapel honoring Becket, and construction of the bridge began in 1176 and wasn’t finished until 1209 under the reign of King John. He was a well-liked Londoner and reigning King Henry II commissioned the construction of a stone bridge In the year 1170, the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, was murdered. It was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times until the final wooden bridge, believed to be timber, was built in the year 1163. This also included a burh that transformed into Warwick Castle.Īnother reason it was rebuilt was to better prepare against the invasion of the Danes in the late 9th century. It’s very likely that Alfred the Great rebuilt the bridge and also the city of London in the 9th century when he created the system of Burhs. ![]() ![]() The Roman wall built around Londinium, one of the major completed projects by the Romans in Britain, did survive, however, and formed the border of the old City of London. The bridge built by the Romans eventually got destroyed and formed a boundary between the kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex who were enemies during the Anglo-Saxon period. When the Roman occupation of Britain ended, Londinium was gradually abandoned. Reconstruction of Londinium and London Bridge around 120 A.D. It was permanently guarded on the north side by a group of Roman soldiers.Įventually, settlements emerged on both sides that grew into the town of Londinium. They initially built a pontoon bridge, a floating bridge held together with boats to allow the Roman army to easily cross the River Thames.Īfter about a century of the Roman occupation of Britain in 55 A.D., a permanent piled bridge was constructed which was made of wood. The Romans were the first to build a bridge on the location of London Bridge. Julius Caesar was the first Roman Emperor to invade Britain and did so twice in 55 and 54 B.C. Before a bridge was built at its location, London didn’t exist! 2. It’s one of the most significant bridges spanning the River Thames in London. was constructed in 1973 when it replaced a 19th-century version of the bridge.Ī box girder bridge means that the main beams are made out of girders that resemble a hollow box, and are made out of reinforced concrete and steel. It’s a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. The London Bridge connects the old historical center and the primary business district of the City of London (where we can find the Gherkin) with the Southwark district. More fun and interesting facts about London Bridge 1.
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