Old London Bridge: The Extraordinary Street That Crossed the Thames for 622 Years
A Bridge Built by Faith
The story of London Bridge begins with an act of devotion. The architect was Peter of Colechurch, a chaplain at the church of St Mary Colechurch in the Old Jewry. In the 12th century, bridge-building was considered a sacred calling—a work of mercy that helped connect communities and facilitated trade, pilgrimage, and human connection.
Peter's vision was ambitious: to replace the vulnerable wooden bridges that had repeatedly burnt down or been destroyed with a structure of stone that would endure for generations. He would not live to see his dream completed. When Peter died in 1205, four years before the bridge's completion, he was buried in the chapel he had designed for the bridge itself—a fitting resting place for a man whose life's work literally connected the two sides of London.
In France, there existed a remarkable religious order known as the 'Pontife' Brothers—the Bridge Builders. These monks dedicated their lives to constructing bridges across rivers, seeing it as holy work that served God by serving humanity. When Peter died, King John called upon a French Pontife named Isembert, who had built impressive bridges at La Rochelle and Saintes, to help complete the work.
An Engineering Marvel (and Puzzle)
Old London Bridge was unlike any modern bridge. It consisted of twenty irregular arches, each of a different width—some as narrow as 10 feet, others stretching to 32 feet. The piers that supported these arches were also of varying lengths. To modern eyes, this seems haphazard, but these irregularities were intentional, based on careful observation of the tidal patterns of the Thames.
The bridge was only 40 feet wide, yet it accommodated houses on both sides, a roadway in the middle, and even a chapel. The houses were small—with only about 14 feet of depth on each side after allowing 12 feet for the central roadway—but they were built out over the water at the back, creating the distinctive overhanging appearance that made the bridge so recognisable.
This was no highway for carts and wagons. The bridge was designed for an age when everything travelled by pack horse or pack ass. A table of tolls from the reign of Edward I makes no mention of wheeled vehicles at all. Men on horseback and loaded animals could navigate the narrow passage, protected by chain posts that ran along either side.
A Street in the Sky
The houses on London Bridge were highly desirable residences and commercial properties. Most were occupied by shops, particularly haberdashers and traders in small wares. The bridge became famous for its booksellers, and after the Reformation, paper merchants and stationers even took over the bridge's chapel for their businesses.
The bridge was home to some notable residents. Hans Holbein, the great portrait painter of Henry VIII's court, lived here. Two celebrated marine painters, Peter Monamy and Dominic Serres, also made the bridge their home. One can imagine them looking out their windows at the constant river traffic below, finding endless inspiration for their seascapes.
- Fresh air and views: The air was fresh and clear, unlike the cramped, fetid streets of the medieval city
- Unlimited water: Residents simply dropped a bucket over the side into the Thames
- Constant entertainment: Foreign ambassadors arriving in state barges, religious processions, the Lord Mayor's show, noblemen with their retinues
- Strategic location: At the heart of trade routes connecting London to Canterbury and the south of England
The Chapel on the Water
At the very centre of the bridge stood one of its most remarkable features: a chapel dedicated to St Thomas Becket, the martyred Archbishop of Canterbury. This was actually a double chapel. The lower level, a crypt, held the tomb of Peter of Colechurch himself. The upper chapel served as a place of worship for travellers and bridge residents.
The chapel survived even the Great Fire of London in 1666, but after the Reformation, when devotion to Thomas Becket was suppressed, it lost its sacred purpose and was eventually converted into a warehouse—a sadly prosaic end for such a storied space.
The dedication to Becket was significant. He was the latest saint at the time of the bridge's construction, murdered in 1170, just six years before work on the stone bridge began.
— Historical Records
The Dangerous Crossing
The narrow arches created a peculiar hazard: the rushing water during incoming or outgoing tides made 'shooting the bridge' in a boat extremely dangerous. The water level could differ by several feet on either side of the bridge, creating turbulent rapids through the narrow openings.
The Duke of Norfolk learnt this the hard way in 1429 when his boat capsized while attempting to shoot the bridge, nearly drowning him. Queen Henrietta in 1628 had a terrifying experience when her barge struck the piers. The famous painter Rubens was thrown into the water in similar circumstances.
Wise travellers often chose to disembark before the bridge, walk across, and board another boat on the far side—a safer if less convenient option.
Fortress Features
London Bridge was not just a crossing—it was a fortification. One of its twenty arches was actually a drawbridge that could be raised to allow tall ships to pass or to prevent enemies from crossing. This defensive feature proved its worth in 1557 when Sir Thomas Wyatt's rebellion was stopped at the bridge. The drawbridge was raised, and Wyatt found himself unable to enter London.
Before the drawbridge stood a tower, and on its battlements was displayed one of the most grim sights in all of London: the heads of executed traitors and criminals, stuck on pikes as a warning to all who passed. The Scottish hero William Wallace, the rebel Jack Cade, and even Sir Thomas More—the king's own chancellor—all ended their days with their heads displayed on London Bridge.
The Bridge as Business
The bridge was endowed with lands and properties whose rents paid for its maintenance. The houses on the bridge paid rent as well. Tolls were collected on all merchandise carried across. A Brotherhood was formed—the Brothers of St Thomas on the Bridge—whose members performed services in the chapel and oversaw repairs and maintenance.
And repairs were constantly needed. To reduce the force of the water against the piers, protective structures called 'starlings' were added—first wooden piles driven into the riverbed, later stone buttresses projecting from the piers. Corn mills were built into some of the openings, using the rushing water to grind grain. In 1582, an ambitious waterworks was constructed at the southern end, pumping Thames water up to supply parts of the city.
Fire and Renewal
The Great Fire of London in 1666 swept through the city with devastating force, but when it reached London Bridge, the flames found a natural firebreak. A gap in the houses—created by an earlier, smaller fire—prevented the blaze from crossing to Southwark. The bridge saved the south side of the river from destruction.
Some houses on the bridge were destroyed and not rebuilt. In 1757, in a major change, all remaining houses were removed from the bridge entirely. For the first time in 550 years, London Bridge was just a bridge—no longer a street, no longer a neighbourhood, but simply a crossing.
The Legend of Edward Osborne
Among the many stories attached to the bridge, one stands out for its romance and its remarkable consequences. Edward Osborne was a young apprentice to Sir William Hewitt, a wealthy cloth worker who lived on the bridge. Sir William had a daughter named Anne, still a small child.
One day, whilst Anne was playing at an open window with her nurse, she fell out—plummeting sixty feet down into the rushing Thames below. Without hesitation, young Edward leapt from the window after her, plunging into the dangerous waters. He managed to reach the girl and pull her to safety.
Years later, when Anne had grown to womanhood, her grateful father gave her in marriage to his former apprentice. Edward Osborne went on to become Lord Mayor of London. His descendants rose to the highest ranks of nobility—the present Duke of Leeds traces his lineage directly back to that brave leap from a window on London Bridge.
The End of an Era
By the early 19th century, Old London Bridge was clearly inadequate for modern traffic. The narrow roadway created constant congestion. The irregular arches impeded river traffic. The ancient structure, despite its centuries of service, had become an obstacle to progress.
In 1831, a new London Bridge was completed, built 180 feet west of its predecessor. The old bridge was then systematically demolished, its stones scattered, its history dissolved into memory. The work of Peter of Colechurch, which had stood from 1209 to 1831—622 years—finally came to an end.
Visiting London Bridge Today
Modern visitors to London can stand near the site of the old bridge and imagine that extraordinary structure. A plaque marks the approximate location. The church of St Magnus the Martyr, which stood at the northern approach to the bridge, still stands and contains artefacts and displays about the old crossing.
The Museum of London houses a remarkable collection of artefacts recovered from the Thames near the bridge site, including coins that fell through the gaps in the wooden planking centuries ago, personal items lost by travellers, and architectural fragments from the bridge itself.
At Southwark Cathedral (the former St Mary Overies), you can stand near where the southern end of the bridge once stood and contemplate the thousands of travellers who passed this spot over six centuries.
Legacy of the Bridge Builders
The bridge builders of the 12th century created something that lasted longer than most cathedrals, longer than most castles, longer than dynasties and kingdoms. In an age when a building that lasted a century was considered well-made, they created one that lasted more than six centuries.
— Historical Analysis
That is the true miracle of Old London Bridge—not just that it was built, but that it endured, generation after generation, serving the city faithfully until the day when progress finally demanded its retirement. The bridge is gone, but its story remains, a testament to medieval ingenuity, faith, and the enduring human need to connect with what lies on the other side.