| Westminster Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Westminster Bridge and the Palace of Westminster, with a glimpse of Westminster Abbey behind the tower of Big Ben seen from the London Eye observation wheel | |
| Carries | Motor vehicles Pedestrians |
| Crosses | River Thames |
| Locale | London, England |
| Design | Arch Bridge |
| Opening date | 1862 |
Westminster Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames between Westminster, Middlesex bank, and Lambeth, Surrey bank in what is now Greater London, England. The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. Westminster is an area of Central London, within the City of Westminster. Lambeth is a place in the London Borough of Lambeth, although the area is now more commonly known as Waterloo, after the railway station whose viaduct separates the London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland
Contents |
History
The first Westminster Bridge was a stone bridge that opened in 1750, paid for by Parliament and designed by the Swiss architect Charles Labelye. Charles Labelye (1705 Vevey, Switzerland &ndash 17 December 1781, ? Paris) was a Swiss bridge engineer and mathematician It was only the second bridge crossing to be built across the Thames below Kingston when opened. It was required to assist in the development of both South London and to give access directly to the south-coast ports for the north-bank expansion of the 'West End', without traffic having to make its way through the already over-congested routes, of the Strand and New Oxford Street, into the City and across London Bridge. South London is the southern part of London, England. The area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes London Bridge is a Bridge between the City of London and Southwark in London, England, over the River Thames. A group of by-pass roads were also developed to facilitate this, resulting in the complex junction at Elephant & Castle in Southwark, then part of Surrey.
By the mid 19th century it was subsiding badly and expensive to maintain. The current bridge was designed by Thomas Page and opened in 1862. [1] With an overall length of 250 feet (76. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit 2 m) and a 26 metre width, it is a seven-arch wrought iron bridge which has Gothic detailing by Charles Barry (the architect of the Palace of Westminster). The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International See also Gothic art Gothic architecture is a style of Architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. Sir Charles Barry FRS ( 23 May 1795 &ndash 12 May 1860) was an English Architect, best known for his role It is the only bridge over the Thames that spans seven arches and is the oldest bridge in the central area of the river Thames. When constructed it incorporated two 2 metre wide tramways, the tracks were removed in 1952. A tram, tramcar, trolley, trolley car, or streetcar is a railborne vehicle, of lighter weight and construction than a Train
The bridge is painted predominantly green, the same colour as the leather seats in the House of Commons which is on the side of the Palace of Westminster nearest the bridge. The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords This is in contrast to Lambeth Bridge which is red, the same colour as the seats in the House of Lords and is on the opposite side of the Houses of Parliament. 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 House of Lords is the second house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords"
In 2005 it underwent a complete refurbishment, which was finished in 2007. This sought to restore it to its former glory by replacing the iron fascias and repainting the whole bridge.
It links the Palace of Westminster on the west side of the river with County Hall and the London Eye on the east and was the finishing point during the early years of the London Marathon. County Hall (sometimes called London County Hall LCH is a building in Lambeth, London, that was the headquarters of London County Council and later the The London Eye, also known as the Millennium Wheel, is the tallest (its height is) Ferris wheel in Europe, and has become the most popular paid tourist The London Marathon is a popular road marathon that has been held each year in London since 1981 usually in April
The next bridge downstream is Hungerford footbridge and upstream is Lambeth Bridge. The Hungerford Bridge crosses the River Thames in London, and lies between Waterloo Bridge and Westminster 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
In popular culture
In the 2002 science fiction film 28 Days Later, the protagonist awakes from a coma to find London deserted, and walks over the Westminster Bridge whilst looking for people. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. 28 Days Later is a 2002 British post-apocalyptic Science fiction film directed by Danny Boyle.
Westminster Bridge is the start and finish point for the Bridges Handicap Race, a traditional London running race. The Bridges Handicap Race is a traditional running race held in Westminster, London at 1230 on the second Wednesday of every month
William Wordsworth wrote the sonnet Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802. Composed upon Westminster Bridge September
In the British Science Fiction series Doctor Who, Westminster Bridge has been used for various location shots. Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. It was used originally in 1964 in the serial The Dalek Invasion of Earth which depicts the structure as desolate and deserted. The Dalek Invasion of Earth is a serial in the British Science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired Several Daleks are seen gliding over the bridge and the adjoining Albert Embankment. A Dalek (, ˈdɑːlεk is a member of a Fictional extraterrestrial race of Mutants from the British science fiction television The Albert Embankment is a stretch of the river bank on the south side of the River Thames in Central London. The location was then re-used by the production team when the series was revived in 2005 where the ninth doctor and Rose Tyler run across the bridge in the episode Rose. Rose Marion Tyler is a fictional character played by Billie Piper in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who " Rose " is an episode in the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who that was first broadcast on 26 March It is also the name of a track in the Doctor Who Soundtrack album.
The bridge plays a prominent role in the Monty Python's Flying Circus sketch "Nationwide" ("Hamlet", Episode 43). Monty Python’s Flying Circus (also known as Flying Circus or during the final series just Monty Python) is a BBC Sketch comedy Reporter John Dull (Graham Chapman) is sent to the bridge to find out if it is possible to sit in a chair and rest your legs whenever you want. Graham Arthur Chapman (8 January 1941 &ndash 4 October 1989 was an English Comedian, Actor, Writer, Physician and one of the A policeman (Michael Palin) confiscates his chair, saying it is stolen from a woman (Terry Jones in drag) who is standing across the street. Michael Edward Palin, CBE (born 5 May 1943 is an English Comedian, actor writer and Television presenter best known for being one of the members For other uses see Terry Jones (disambiguation. Terence Graham Parry Jones (born 1 February 1942) is a Welsh Instead of giving the chair back to the woman, the policeman knocks her down and takes an identical chair from her and sits beside the reporter. He then takes different items from people walking or sitting nearby, finally breaking into a store (the crash of glass breaking is heard followed by the sound of an alarm) to get beer.
In the 2000 film 102 Dalmatians, Cruella de Vil goes mad after she hears the sound of Big Ben, and while on Westminster Bridge she sees everything white with black spots (the pattern of Dalmatians). 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Cruella de Vil is a fictional character and the primary villain in Dodie Smith 's 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians, Disney's 1961 The Clock Tower is the world's largest four-faced chiming Clock.
References
External links
- Westminster Bridge (1750) in the Structurae database
- Westminster Bridge (1862) in the Structurae database
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic