Lambeth Bridge
Lambeth Bridge is a road traffic and footbridge crossing the River Thames in an east-west direction in central London; the river flows north at the crossing point. Downstream, the next bridge is Westminster Bridge; upstream the next is Vauxhall Bridge. See Bridges in London.
Suspension Bridge
The first structure was a suspension bridge, 828 feet long, designed by Peter William Barlow and opened as a toll bridge in 1862. See Lambeth Suspension Bridge.
Doubts about its safety, coupled with its awkwardly steep approaches deterring horse-drawn traffic, meant it soon became used almost solely as a pedestrian crossing.
It ceased to be a toll bridge in 1879 when the Metropolitan Board of Works assumed responsibility for its upkeep — by then it was severely corroded.
The Present Bridge
The present structure, a five-span steel arch, designed by engineer Sir George W. Humphreys and architects Sir Reginald Blomfield and G. Topham Forrest, was built by Dorman, Long and Co and opened on 19 July 1932 by King George V. It formerly carried four lanes of road traffic (now reduced to three lanes).
1932 'His Majesty the King, who was accompanied by her Majesty the Queen, drove in semi-state on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 19, to open the new Lambeth Bridge linking Westminster and Lambeth. The ceremony took place at the Westminster end of the structure, in a pavilion erected for the purpose. After the King had declared the bridge open, their Majesties passed across it. Lambeth Bridge, it should be added, was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield, R.A., and Mr. G. Topham Forrest, chief architect to the L.C.C., in association with Sir George Humphreys, as engineer; and the contractors were Messrs. Dorman, Long and Co. There are five spans to the bridge: a central span which is 165 feet long; two intermediate spans each 149 feet long; and two approach spans each 125 feet long. The road is 36 feet wide ; the footways are 12 feet wide. 4000 tons of steel went to the making. In the old days there was a horse ferry at the site of the new structure, a means of crossing the river which was owned by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and is recalled by the name of Horseferry Road.'[1]
1932 'CHELTENHAM'S SHARE IN LAMBETH BRIDGE. Gloucestershire will have a particular interest m the new Lambeth Bridge which is being opened by the King on Tuesday. H. H. Martyn and Company, Limited, of Cheltenham, the famous architectural decorators, are responsible for much work on London’s latest bridge. They cast in their foundry at Cheltenham the magnificent gilt bronze pine-apple shaped finials which surmount the obelisks at the entrance to the bridge. Further, the eight carvings at the head of each pier are also the work of this firm. These carvings, which are sculptured out of granite blocks each weighing 21 tons, incorporate in their design the arms of the London County Council.'[2]
1932 'Kirkintilloch has more than a casual interest in two London functions last week. One was the opening of the new Lambeth Bridge over the Thames, and the other was the opening of Unilever House, the headquarters of the great Levers combine. The iron work in both structures came from the Lion Foundry, Ltd.'[3]. Note this would refer to decorative castings on the bridge, including the balustrades.
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Wikipedia