| Show london bridge situated at head of navigation london bridge Is the first or farthest down of 0 the bield bridges es across the thames il iames at london it Is situated at the hend head of navigation about a ahall half mile above the tower of london but the present london bridge Is 18 riot not the one celebrated in the nursery song nor in the proverb to the effect that london I bridge was made tor for wise men to pass over still anil fools to pass under that famous old bridge which stood for more than years was finally demolished more than a century ago the site hug has probably been the location of a bridge from very early times lu in londona Lon dons history lils lory notes a writer in the cleveland plain de dealer aler but the earliest bridge in ila this location Is not lot mentioned until the Nic century it was wal a rnoden fioden structure which visit a dest destroyed roved by a storm and high tide november 16 1091 the first stone bridge the famous bridge spoken boken of above was built between 1178 1176 and 1200 on a wooden foundation it consisted of 20 arches the roadway was wa feet long 60 feet above the water and 40 feet wide houses blouses were built upon the bridge and in tile the course of time it became a con as sinuous street with three hopeni openings 9 on men each side aide of the river the buildings on the bridge were repeatedly devastated by fire most notably in the great fire of tilt the eleventh span aiom the southward South wark end formed a drawbridge flanked by a tower built in 1426 i and on top of which were thick stuck tile the heads of 0 persons executed for treason all the superstructures were reused in 1757 in 1832 the old bridge itself was torn down the new london bridge having been opened tile the year before |
