City Bridge Foundation is the working name of the historic Bridge House Estates, which originated in the late eleventh century and was formally established by royal charter in 1282 by the City of London Corporation in London, England. It is a registered charity governed by a single trustee, the City of London Corporation, represented by the City Bridge Foundation Board. [1]
It was originally established to maintain London Bridge and, subsequently, other bridges. Funded by bridge tolls and charitable donations, the foundation acquired an extensive property portfolio which made it more than self-sufficient. As well as maintaining the bridges, the foundation also makes charitable grants. It is one of three trust funds managed by the City of London, the other two being the City Fund and the City's Cash. [2]
Since it was established, the foundation has maintained, and on several occasions replaced, London Bridge. The foundation also built Blackfriars Bridge and Tower Bridge, and purchased Southwark Bridge from the toll-exacting private company that built it. Most recently it took over ownership and maintenance of the pedestrian-only Millennium Bridge, having provided a large amount of the funding for its construction. [3] The estate owns significant amounts of property in the City of London, including the Old Bailey. [4]
Until 1995, the foundation was permitted to use its income only for expenditure on its bridges. However, with a surplus of income over expenditure, a cy-près scheme was adopted in that year to allow any surplus income to be used for other charitable purposes benefiting Greater London.
From 1995 to September 2023 the charity funding arm was known as City Bridge Trust. In September 2023 Bridge House Estates and the City Bridge Trust merged unifying the brand as the City Bridge Foundation, however the formal entity name is still the Bridge House Estates. [5] [6]
The Bridge House Estates took its name from Bridge House, which was the administrative and maintenance centre of Old London Bridge located on the south bank of the River Thames, near the site of St Olave's Church (since replaced by St Olaf House in Tooley Street). The site, now covered by the London Bridge Hospital and the Cotton's Centre, was constituted of at least two properties in Southwark. The first was that of Peter of Colechurch the warden of the bridge from 1163, and probably a monastic dwelling. The second property was the house left by the will of Henry fitz Ailwin, first named Mayor of London, in 1215.
The bridge became part of the City's jurisdiction from 1282, and this led to the City attempting to extend control over Southwark, succeeding in acquiring the 'vill of Southwark' alias the Guildable Manor in 1327.
Known as the Bridge Mark, the logo of Bridge House Estates is one of the oldest logos in continuous use and can be found carved into stonework in many places along the riverfront. It has been the identifying emblem of the Bridge House Estates for many centuries, but the latter now uses the City of London arms as an emblem.
It was thought likely that the mark as we know it today was designed by a famous 17th-century surveyor, William Leybourn. It appears drawn on a plan of 1680 which it is thought he adapted from a similar mark drawn against plots owned by Bridge House Estates on an earlier plan of St George's Fields in Southwark. The City sword rest [7] from the church of St Olave, Southwark (now in the north transept of Southwark Cathedral) has the Bridge Mark carved onto it to balance the City's shield, and shows a date of 1674. [8]
Blackfriars Bridge Act 1863 | |
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Act of Parliament | |
Long title | An Act to authorise the Mayor and Commonality and Citizens of the City of London to rebuild Blackfriars Bridge. |
Citation | 26 & 27 Vict. c. lxii |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 8 June 1863 |
Blackfriars and Southwark Bridge Act 1867 | |
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Act of Parliament | |
Long title | An Act to enable the Mayor and Commonality and Citizens of the City of London to borrow a further Sum of Money on the Security of the Bridge House Estates, to complete the rebuilding of Blackfriars Bridge, and for the Purchase of Southwark Bridge; and for other purposes. |
Citation | 30 & 31 Vict. c. iii |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 5 April 1867 |
Text of statute as originally enacted |
Corporation of London (Tower Bridge) Act 1885 | |
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Act of Parliament | |
Long title | An Act to empower the Corporation of London to construct a Bridge over the River Thames near the Tower of London with approaches thereto and for other purposes. |
Citation | 48 & 49 Vict. c. cxcv |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 14 August 1885 |
The Bridge House Estates was established by the grant of a royal charter on 24 May 1282, [9] and the sole trustee is the City of London Corporation. The trustee is the legal but not beneficial owner of the trust property—it may only be used for the legitimate purposes for which the fund was created.
Bridge House Estates are run by a committee of the City of London Corporation called the City Bridge Foundation Board (formerly the Bridge House Estates Board). Formed in 2021, the chairmanship is held by a Common Councillor on a four-year rotation; the first Chair was Giles Shilson, who as of May 2024 [update] remains in post.
In addition to its royal charter of 1282, the Bridge House Estates operates with respect to various legislative powers, e.g., the Blackfriars Bridge Act 1863, the Blackfriars and Southwark Bridge Act 1867, the Corporation of London (Tower Bridge) Act 1885 for its maintenance role and for its general charitable role under the Charities (The Bridge House Estates) Order 1995 (Statutory Instrument 1047), and the Charities (The Bridge House Estates) Order 2001 (Statutory Instrument 4017).
Originally funded by tolls on London Bridge, the rents and leases of the buildings that were on it and also by charitable donations, the Bridge House Estates acquired an extensive property portfolio which made it self-sufficient. [3]
The fund administered by the Bridge House Estates is solely responsible for the five City Bridges. There is no financial support from the government or any other fund. If one of the bridges happened to collapse, the charity would have to rebuild it out of the endowment. The good stewardship of the property and investments of the estates by the City has led to the accumulation of surplus funds over any such demand on its resources. Therefore, the City sought from the Charity Commission to implement a cy-près scheme to extend its objects (purposes) since September 1995 to make charitable grants within the Greater London area. [3]
In 2019, total income of the Bridge House Estates was £43.1 million and total expenditure and reinvestment was £53.1 million. The total funds held by the estates are in excess of £1.5 billion.
Southwark is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed due to its position at the southern end of the early versions of London Bridge, for centuries the only dry crossing on the river. Around 43 AD, engineers of the Roman Empire found the geographic features of the south bank here suitable for the placement and construction of the first bridge.
Blackfriars Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames in London, between Waterloo Bridge and Blackfriars Railway Bridge, carrying the A201 road. The north end is in the City of London near the Inns of Court and Temple Church, along with Blackfriars station. The south end is in the London Borough of Southwark, near the Tate Modern art gallery and the Oxo Tower. Opened in the 1860s, it replaced an earlier bridge from the 1760s.
A charitable trust is an irrevocable trust established for charitable purposes. In some jurisdictions, it is a more specific term than "charitable organization". A charitable trust enjoys varying degrees of tax benefits in most countries and also generates goodwill. Some important terminology in charitable trusts includes the term "corpus", referring to the assets with which the trust is funded, and the term "donor," which is the person donating assets to a charity.
SouthwarkBridge is an arch bridge in London, for traffic linking the district of Southwark and the City across the River Thames. Besides when others are closed for temporary repairs, it has the least traffic of the Thames bridges in London.
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another. A trustee can also be a person who is allowed to do certain tasks but not able to gain income. Although in the strictest sense of the term a trustee is the holder of property on behalf of a beneficiary, the more expansive sense encompasses persons who serve, for example, on the board of trustees of an institution that operates for a charity, for the benefit of the general public, or a person in the local government.
The Honourable The Irish Society is a consortium of livery companies of the City of London established during the Plantation of Ulster to colonise County Londonderry. It was created in 1609 within the City of London Corporation, and incorporated in 1613 by royal charter of James I. In its first decades the society rebuilt the city of Derry and town of Coleraine, and for centuries it owned property and fishing rights near both towns. Some of the society's profits were used to develop the economy and infrastructure of the area, while some was returned to the London investors, and some used for charitable work.
A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being.
John Lyon (1514–1592) was a significant English landowner, who by 1564 had the largest land-rental income in Harrow, and who was the founder of Harrow School and the John Lyon's Charity. The John Lyon School was named as such in his recognition. The Harrow School house, Lyon's, is also named after him. He was a member of the Anglo-Norman Lyons family, and was a first cousin of Sir John Lyon, who was Lord Mayor of London for 1554 to 1555.
The Garden Bridge project was an unsuccessful private proposal for a pedestrian bridge over the River Thames in London, England. Originally an idea of Joanna Lumley, and strongly supported by then-Mayor of London Boris Johnson, the designer Thomas Heatherwick worked with Arup Group on a proposal by Transport for London (TfL) for a new bridge across the Thames between Waterloo Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge. The proposed concrete, steel, cupronickel clad structure was intended to carry pedestrians, with no cycles or other vehicles. It was to have been located some 200 metres (660 ft) from Waterloo Bridge and 300 m (980 ft) from Blackfriars Bridge, and have included some areas of planting. The project was to include a commercial building, built on former green space at the southern end of the bridge. The bridge was intended to be funded by raising over £140 million of private money and £60 million of promised public money, of which £30m was from Transport for London and £30m from the Department for Transport, adding up to projected funding of over £200m. In January 2017, the trustees of the prospective owner of the bridge, the Garden Bridge Trust, stated that costs would "substantially exceed" an earlier revised total of £185m and, in April 2017, a report by Margaret Hodge MP concluded, on the basis of the Garden Bridge Trust's own evidence, that the cost would be over £200m.
St Saviour's Grammar School was a free grammar school for boys located in the borough of Southwark, south of the River Thames in London, England. It existed as a separate entity from 1559 until 1896, when it was amalgamated with St Olave's Grammar School, which was renamed St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School For Boys.
Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST) is a horticulture, gardening and management of urban open space charity, based in Bankside, the southern bank by the River Thames, Southwark, Central London, England. BOST works local communities and organisations in London, such as Tate Modern community garden, to improve, create and enjoy the parks, gardens, green spaces, and, passive and active recreation areas.
The Dulwich Estate, previously the Estates Governors of Alleyn's College of God's Gift at Dulwich, is a registered charity in England, one of the successors to the historic charity Edward Alleyn's College of God's Gift that was founded in 1619. It owns the freehold of around 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) in Dulwich, South London, including a number of private roads and a tollgate. The estate properties range from Regency and 19th century buildings to distinguished modernist 1960s buildings.
Sir Thomas Bell the Elder (1486–1566) was a cap manufacturer, mayor of Gloucester, and member of Parliament. He was one of the city's largest employers and wealthiest citizens and a great benefactor of the city and its people. He is described in contemporaneous documents as a "capper". He invested much of his wealth in real estate released on the Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes in partnership with Richard Duke, of Otterton, Devon, Clerk of the Court of Augmentations.
Southwark St Saviour was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England, and part of the ancient Borough of Southwark. It was formed in 1541 from the union of the parishes of St Margaret and St Mary. It was abolished in 1930, however residents of the former parish receive a rebate against local taxation because of the presence of Borough Market. It included the Liberty of the Clink which was a special jurisdiction until 1889.
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Blackfriars Settlement charitable organization in the UK established to improve the well-being of disadvantaged people. It was originally established as the Women's University Settlement in 1887, and focused especially on the needs of women and children. It was part of the settlement movement promoted by Rev Samuel Barnett who prompted young people with university educations to settle in the worst areas of poverty. The Women's Library has an archival collection of documents related to the group.
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