London Bridge | |
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![]() London Bridge in Lake Havasu City | |
Coordinates | 34°28′18″N114°20′50″W / 34.4716789°N 114.3471778°W |
Carries | McCulloch Boulevard North |
Crosses | Bridgewater Channel Canal |
Locale | Lake Havasu City, Arizona, United States |
Characteristics | |
Design | Arch bridge |
Material | Clynelish (Brora) sandstone and various granite mixes |
Total length | 930 feet (280 m; 167 sm) [1] |
Longest span | 45.6 metres (150 ft) [2] |
No. of spans | 5 |
History | |
Designer | John Rennie |
Construction start | 1825 |
Construction end | 1831 |
Opened | August 1, 1831 (London) October 10, 1971 (Lake Havasu) |
Rebuilt | 1967–1971 |
Location | |
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London Bridge is a bridge in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. United States. When it was built in the 1830s, it spanned the River Thames in London, England. In 1968, the bridge was purchased from the City of London by Robert P. McCulloch. However, McCulloch only had the exterior granite blocks from the original bridge cut and transported to the United States for use in the construction of a new bridge in Lake Havasu City, a planned community he established in 1964 on the shore of Lake Havasu. The only parts of the “New London Bridge” that made it to Arizona were the exterior masonry. The Arizona bridge is a reinforced concrete structure clad in the original masonry of the 1830s bridge. The bridge was completed in 1971 (along with the Bridgewater Channel Canal, separating the peninsula from the mainland), and links mainland Lake Havasu City with Pittsburgh Point. The "rededication" of the London Bridge took place on October 10, 1971. [3]
The 1831 London Bridge was the last project of engineer John Rennie, and was completed by his son, John Rennie. [4] By 1962, it was not sturdy enough to carry the increased load of traffic; the bridge was sold by the City of London in April 1968 to make way for its replacement. [5]
The purchaser, Robert P. McCulloch, was an entrepreneur and real estate developer who founded Lake Havasu City. He installed the bridge to attract tourists and retirement home buyers to his properties there. [5]
The community first started as an Army Air Corps rest camp, called "Site Six" during World War II on the shores of Lake Havasu. In 1958 McCulloch purchased 3,353 acres (13.57 km2) of property on the east side of the lake along Pittsburgh Point, the peninsula, intending to develop the land. But the real estate agents could not bring in prospective buyers, because the land was far from centers of population and had a very hot, arid climate. [6] McCulloch's real estate agent, Robert Plumer, learned that London Bridge was for sale and convinced McCulloch to buy it and bring it to the area to attract potential land buyers. The initial response from McCulloch was, "That's the craziest idea I have ever heard," but after consideration, he decided to go ahead [7] and purchased it for £1.02 million ($2.46 million at that time). [8]
There is a popular rumor that the bridge was bought in the mistaken belief that it was London's more recognizable Tower Bridge, [9] [10] [11] but the allegation was vehemently denied by both McCulloch and Ivan Luckin, who arranged the bridge's sale. [8]
The bridge's facing stones were removed, with each numbered and its position catalogued. After the bridge was dismantled, the stones were transported to a quarry in Merrivale, Devon, where 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 inches) were sliced off many of the original stones.
Plumer arranged with a cargo shipping company that was going to sail a newly built ship, without any cargo, from the U.K. to the U.S. Plumer negotiated to pay for all the voyage's operating costs, in return for carrying the bridge stones as cargo to the U.S., which was far less than the going rate shipping costs.
The new ship transported the bridge in pieces through the Panama Canal and unloaded it at the Port of Long Beach, California. From there, the bridge was transported overland to Lake Havasu City, where re-assembly began in 1968. [12]
On September 23, 1968, the bridge's foundation stone was re-laid at the reconstruction site in Arizona by Sir Gilbert Inglefield, Lord Mayor of London. [12] A new concrete interior structure was clad in the original stonework. [1] The reconstruction took slightly over three years and was completed in late 1971 by Sundt Construction. [13]
The bridge was not rebuilt over a river, but was put up on land between the main part of the city and Pittsburgh Point, which at that time was a peninsula jutting into Lake Havasu. [14] Once completed, a construction company dredged the Bridgewater Channel Canal under the bridge, across the neck of the Pittsburgh Point peninsula. The canal separating it from the city made Pittsburgh Point an island. As a result, the bridge now traverses a navigable shortcut between the Thompson Bay in Lake Havasu, south of Pittsburgh Point, and the northern part of Lake Havasu. [15]
After the bridge was reconstructed, prospective buyers of land were attracted to visit the bridge and take a tour of properties for sale. Land sales improved, and McCulloch recouped all his expenses on the purchase and shipping of the bridge. Since he had obtained the land at no cost[ citation needed ], the sale of the properties paid for the bridge and more. Recent years have seen much development in the area of the bridge to increase tourist interest.
The original "English Village" was an open-air mall with a hedge maze and historical museum built in faux-English style. It deteriorated over time and sections of the mall were leveled. The Lake Havasu City Convention & Visitors Bureau has undertaken a revitalization of the English Village, [16] with conversion of the mall to condos proposed in 2011 by Virtual Realty Enterprises, its current owner. [17]
On June 16, 2014, The Sun published a false story claiming Lake Havasu City’s beloved London Bridge was being torn down to build an attraction for selling marijuana and drug paraphernalia to tourists. Doug Traub, President & CEO of the Lake Havasu City Convention & Visitors Bureau (now Go Lake Havasu) responded by demanding a retraction. [18] The conflict was picked up by publications around the globe. [19] After two weeks, the British tabloid removed the story from circulation and printed a correction. [20]
Mohave County is a county in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, its population was 213,267. The county seat is Kingman, and the largest city is Lake Havasu City. It is the fifth largest county in the United States.
The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London since Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It replaced a 19th-century stone-arched bridge, which in turn superseded a 600-year-old stone-built medieval structure. In addition to the roadway, for much of its history, the broad medieval bridge supported an extensive built up area of homes and businesses part of the City's Bridge ward and its southern end in Southwark was guarded by a large stone City gateway. The medieval bridge was preceded by a succession of timber bridges, the first of which was built by the Roman founders of London (Londinium) around 50 AD.
Lake Havasu City is a city in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 57,144, up from 52,527 in 2010. It is served by Lake Havasu City Airport.
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McCulloch Motors Corporation is an American manufacturer of chainsaws and other outdoor power tools. The company was founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1943 by Robert Paxton McCulloch as a manufacturer of small two-stroke gasoline engines and introduced its first chainsaw in 1948, the Model 5-49. McCulloch and its brand are owned by Husqvarna.
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Robert Paxton McCulloch was an American entrepreneur from Missouri, best known for McCulloch chainsaws and purchasing the "New" London Bridge, which he moved to Lake Havasu City, Arizona—one of the cities he founded.
KAAA is a radio station broadcasting a news–talk format, licensed to Kingman, Arizona, United States. The station is owned by Cameron Broadcasting, Inc. and forms a full-time simulcast with KZZZ in Bullhead City. The stations feature programming from Fox News Radio, Premiere Networks, Westwood One and Salem Radio Network among others.
Mohave Community College (MCC) is a public community college with campuses in Kingman, Lake Havasu City, Bullhead City, and Colorado City, serving Mohave County, Arizona and the surrounding communities. MCC is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
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A structure relocation is the process of moving a structure from one location to another. There are two main ways for a structure to be moved: disassembling and then reassembling it at the required destination, or transporting it whole. For the latter, the building is first raised and then may be pushed on temporary rails or dollies if the distance is short. Otherwise, wheels, such as flatbed trucks, are used. These moves can be complicated and require the removal of protruding parts of the building, such as the chimney, as well as obstacles along the journey, such as overhead cables and trees.
Cornelius Vanderbilt Wood Jr. was an American developer of theme parks and planned communities. He was the chief developer of Disneyland and then, through his own company, Marco Engineering, he developed other parks in several locations across the country. These theme parks included Freedomland U.S.A. in New York City and Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas.
The Manning Memorial Light, also known as the Robert H. Manning Memorial Lighthouse or Manning Light is a lighthouse located near Empire, Michigan. Mr. Manning was a longtime resident of Empire. Manning enjoyed fishing offshore, and often returned from these boat trips late at night. He often remarked to friends and relatives he wished a lighthouse was in the area to aid that navigation. After his death in 1989, friends and relatives raised funds to build the lighthouse as a memorial. The lighthouse was illuminated in 1990. It is the second newest lighthouse in Michigan—the newest being the Tri-Centennial Light of Detroit -- and one of three memorial lights in Michigan. Another is the William Livingstone Memorial Light.
The Day of the Wolves is a 1971 heist movie starring Richard Egan and directed, written and produced by Ferde Grofe Jr., the son of the renowned composer, Ferde Grofe, who had previously worked in the Philippine film industry. It was the first movie to be made on location in the new town of Lake Havasu City, Arizona. This was the last feature film made by actress Martha Hyer and was also the last film made by actor Percy Helton who died about five months after filming wrapped.
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Bridge Across Time, also known as Terror at London Bridge, is a 1985 American made-for-television drama film. It was an NBC movie of the week, written by William F. Nolan, directed by E.W. Swackhamer and starred David Hasselhoff, Stepfanie Kramer, and Randolph Mantooth. The relocation of London Bridge to Lake Havasu City, Arizona is the basis of this film, and a series of murders is attributed to the spirit of Jack the Ripper, whose soul is transported to the United States in one of the stones of the bridge.
The dragon boundary marks are cast iron statues of dragons on metal or stone plinths that mark the boundaries of the City of London. The dragons are painted silver, with details of their wings and tongue picked out in red. The dragon stands on its left rear leg, with the right rear leg lifted forward to support a shield, with the right foreleg raised and the left foreleg holding the top of the shield. The shield bears the City of London's coat of arms painted in red and white: the red cross of Saint George on a white background, with a red sword in the first quarter, an attribute of Saint Paul. Saint George and Saint Paul are respectively the patron saints of England and of London. The dragon's stance is the equivalent of the rampant heraldic attitude of the supporters of the City's arms, which may allude to the legend of Saint George and the Dragon.
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The Special London Bridge Special is a 1972 musical variety television special produced, directed and choreographed by David Winters and starring Tom Jones and Jennifer O'Neill. Appearing in the special were The Carpenters, Kirk Douglas, Jonathan Winters, Hermione Gingold, Lorne Greene, Chief Dan George, Charlton Heston, George Kirby, Michael Landon, Terry-Thomas, Engelbert Humperdinck, Elliott Gould, Merle Park, and Rudolf Nureyev
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