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London Bridge

This is the oldest of the four. Various wooden bridges stood on or near this site since before Roman times but in 1176 a visionary cleric, Peter de Colechurch, decided to build a revolutionary stone structure.

Its 19 arches stretched 900 feet across the Thames and took 33 years to build. Although Peter de Colechurch died before he could see his vision turn into reality, his bridge stood for 655 years. It was demolished in 1831-2 to make way for a bridge designed by John Rennie the Elder which could cope better with the demands of the growing City and Victorian road traffic. That bridge stood for only 140 years until in 1971 it was sold to an American oil company. It now stands in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, while the wider, stronger London Bridge which replaced it still reaches across the Thames today. The current bridge was designed by Mott, Hay & Anderson with Lord Holford as architectural adviser.

Tower Bridge

An internationally-recognised landmark which to millions of tourists epitomises London, Tower Bridge was built between 1886 and 1894. Apart from the Millenium footbridge, it is the most recently constructed of the Corporation-owned bridges. Its initial design was by Horace Jones, with John Wolfe Barry as the engineer and George D Stevenson as his architectural assistant. It was opened by the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII. In its heyday in Victorian times the bridge would open more than 6,000 times a year; now it opens for river traffic about 900 times a year.

During its construction Tower Bridge was known as the Wonder Bridge because, as well as being the largest, most sophisticated bascule bridge ever built, it also used hydraulic power on a scale never attempted before.

The steam-driven power system has since been replaced with a new electric and oil hydraulic system but the bridge remains a wonder to the half a million tourists who visit it every year.

Tower Bridge houses an exciting exhibition which charts the history of the bridge and enables you to explore the bridge's inner secrets and workings. Click here to visit the Tower Bridge Exhibition website .

Blackfriars

This was the Corporation's second bridge, opened in 1769 to designs by Robert Mylne. It was replaced in 1869 by the present iron and steel structure designed by Joseph Cubitt and H Carr. It was widened between 1907 and 1910.

Southwark Bridge

Southwark bridge was originally built between 1814-1819 by John Rennie the Elder and was purchased by the Corporation in 1868. The original cast iron structure was rebuilt in steel between 1912 and 1921 to a design by Mott & Hay as engineers and Sir Ernest George as architect. It was reopened by King George V in 1921.

Millennium Bridge

The first new pedestrian bridge to be built across the Thames for over a century, the Millennium footbridge links the City with Bankside. Ownership of, and responsibiltiy for the bridge was transferred to the Corporation of London in February 2002, when the bridge re-opened following successful remedial work to remove its 'wobble' . Open thoughout the year, it provides an invaluable link between communities north and south of the river. For more about the Millennium Bridge, visit the Arup website.