Westminster Bridge

Westminster Bridge
Coordinates	51°30′03″N0°07′19″W / 51.5008°N 0.1219°W / 51.5008; -0.1219
Carries	A302 road
Crosses	River Thames
Locale	London
Maintained by	Transport for London
Heritage status	Grade II* listed structure
Preceded by	Lambeth Bridge
Followed by	Hungerford Bridge & Golden Jubilee Bridges
Characteristics
Design	Arch bridge
Total length	820 feet (250 m)
Width	85 feet (26 m)
No. of spans	7
History
Designer	Thomas Page
Opened	(first bridge) 18 November 1750 (second bridge) 24 May 1862
Location

Westminster Bridge by Joseph Farrington, 1789 (the original bridge)

Westminster Bridge is a road-and-foot-traffic bridge crossing over the River Thames in London, linking Westminster on the west side and Lambeth on the east side.

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 to the bridge, but a natural shade similar to verdigris. 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. ^[1]

In 2005–2007, it underwent a complete refurbishment, including 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.

The next bridge downstream is the Hungerford Bridge & Golden Jubilee Bridges and upstream is Lambeth Bridge. Westminster Bridge was designated a Grade II* listed structure in 1981. ^[2]

History

Westminster Bridge Act 1735
Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long title	An Act for building a Bridge cross the River Thames, from The New Palace Yard, in the City of Westminster, to the opposite Shore in the County of Surrey.
Citation	9 Geo. 2. c. 29
Territorial extent	Great Britain
Dates
Royal assent	20 May 1736
Commencement	15 January 1736 [a]
Repealed	4 August 1853
Other legislation
Amended by	Westminster Bridge Act 1736
Repealed by	Westminster Bridge Act 1853
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Westminster Bridge Act 1736
Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long title	An Act for explaining and amending an Act passed in the Ninth Year of the Reign of His present Majesty, intituled, "An Act for building a Bridge cross the River Thames, from The New Palace Yard, in the City of Westminster, to the opposite Shore, in the County of Surrey."
Citation	10 Geo. 2. c. 16
Territorial extent	Great Britain
Dates
Royal assent	21 June 1737
Commencement	1 February 1737 [a]
Repealed	4 August 1853
Other legislation
Amends	Westminster Bridge Act 1735
Repealed by	Westminster Bridge Act 1853
Relates to	Westminster Bridge Act 1737
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Westminster Bridge Act 1737
Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long title	An Act for building a Bridge cross the River Thames, from the Woolstaple, or thereabouts, in the Parish of Saint Margaret, in the City of Westminster, to the opposite Shore, in the County of Surrey.
Citation	11 Geo. 2. c. 25
Territorial extent	Great Britain
Dates
Royal assent	20 May 1738
Commencement	24 January 1738 [a]
Repealed	4 August 1853
Other legislation
Repealed by	Westminster Bridge Act 1853
Relates to	Westminster Bridge Act 1736
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Westminster Bridge Act 1738
Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long title	An Act to enlarge the Powers of the Commissioners for building a Bridge cross the River Thames, from The Woolstaple, or thereabouts, in the Parish of Saint Margaret, in the City of Westminster, to the opposite Shore, in the County of Surrey; and to enable them, by a Lottery, to raise Money, for the several Purposes therein mentioned; and to enlarge the Time for exchanging Tickets unclaimed in the last Lottery for the said Bridge; and to make Provision for Tickets in the said Lottery, lost, burnt, or otherwise destroyed.
Citation	12 Geo. 2. c. 33
Territorial extent	Great Britain
Dates
Royal assent	13 June 1739
Commencement	1 February 1739 [a]
Repealed	4 August 1853
Other legislation
Repealed by	Westminster Bridge Act 1853
Relates to	Westminster Bridge Act 1741
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Westminster Bridge Act 1739
Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long title	An Act to give further Powers to the Commissioners for building a Bridge cross the River Thames, from the City of Westminster to the opposite Shore in the County of Surrey; and to enable them to raise a further Sum of Money, towards finishing the said Bridge, and to perform the other Trusts reposed in them.
Citation	13 Geo. 2. c. 16
Territorial extent	Great Britain
Dates
Royal assent	29 April 1740
Commencement	15 November 1739 [a]
Repealed	4 August 1853
Other legislation
Repealed by	Westminster Bridge Act 1853
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Westminster Bridge Act 1740
Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long title	An Act to enable the Commissioners for building a Bridge cross the River Thames, from the City of Westminster, to the opposite Shore in the County of Surrey, to raise a further Sum of Money, towards finishing the said Bridge, and to perform the other Trusts reposed in them; and for exchanging of Tickets unclaimed in the Westminster Bridge Lottery of the Twelfth Year of His present Majesty's Reign; and for making Provision for Tickets in the said Lottery, lost, burnt, or otherwise destroyed.
Citation	14 Geo. 2. c. 40
Territorial extent	Great Britain
Dates
Royal assent	25 April 1741
Commencement	18 November 1740 [a]
Repealed	4 August 1853
Other legislation
Repealed by	Westminster Bridge Act 1853
Relates to	Westminster Bridge Act 1741
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Westminster Bridge Act 1741
Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long title	An Act for the better enabling the Commissioners for building a Bridge cross the River Thames, from the City of Westminster to the opposite Shore in the County of Surrey, to finish the said Bridge, and to perform the other Trusts reposed in them; and for enlarging the Time for exchanging of Tickets unclaimed in the last Lottery for the said Bridge, and to make Provision for Tickets in the said Lottery, lost, burnt, or otherwise destroyed.
Citation	15 Geo. 2. c. 26
Territorial extent	Great Britain
Dates
Royal assent	15 July 1742
Commencement	1 December 1741 [a]
Repealed	4 August 1853
Other legislation
Repealed by	Westminster Bridge Act 1853
Relates to	Westminster Bridge Act 1738 Westminster Bridge Act 1740
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Westminster Bridge Act 1743
Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long title	An Act to explain and make more effectual several Acts of Parliament, passed in the Reign of His present Majesty, for building a Bridge cross the River Thames, from the City of Westminster, to the opposite Shore in the County of Surrey; and for the better enabling the Commissioners for building the said Bridge to finish the same, and to perform the other Trusts reposed in them; as also for granting further Time for exchanging the Tickets unclaimed in the last Lottery for the said Bridge, and to make Provision for Tickets in the said Lottery, lost, burnt, or otherwise destroyed.
Citation	17 Geo. 2. c. 32
Territorial extent	Great Britain
Dates
Royal assent	12 May 1744
Commencement	1 December 1743 [a]
Repealed	4 August 1853
Other legislation
Repealed by	Westminster Bridge Act 1853
Relates to	Westminster Bridge Act 1735 Westminster Bridge Act 1736 Westminster Bridge Act 1737 Westminster Bridge Act 1738 Westminster Bridge Act 1739 Westminster Bridge Act 1740 Westminster Bridge Act 1741 Westminster Bridge Act 1744 Westminster Bridge Act 1756 Westminster Bridge Act 1757 Prickard's Estate and Westminster Bridge Commissioners Act 1814 Westminster Bridge Act 1850
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Westminster Bridge Act 1744
Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long title	An Act for granting further Powers to the Commissioners for building a Bridge cross the River Thames, from the City of Westminster, to the opposite Shore in the County of Surrey; and for the better enabling them to finish the said Bridge, and to perform the other Trusts reposed in them.
Citation	18 Geo. 2. c. 29
Territorial extent	Great Britain
Dates
Royal assent	2 May 1745
Commencement	27 November 1744 [a]
Repealed	4 August 1853
Other legislation
Repealed by	Westminster Bridge Act 1853
Relates to	Westminster Bridge Act 1735 Westminster Bridge Act 1736 Westminster Bridge Act 1737 Westminster Bridge Act 1738 Westminster Bridge Act 1739 Westminster Bridge Act 1740 Westminster Bridge Act 1741 Westminster Bridge Act 1743 Westminster Bridge Act 1756 Westminster Bridge Act 1757 Prickard's Estate and Westminster Bridge Commissioners Act 1814 Westminster Bridge Act 1850
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Westminster Bridge Act 1756
Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long title	An Act to enable the Commissioners for building a Bridge cross the River Thames, from the City of Westminster, to the opposite Shore in the County of Surry, to purchase Houses and Grounds, and to widen the Ways, and make more safe and commodious the Streets, Avenues, and Passages, leading from Charing Cross to the Two Houses of Parliament, Westminster Hall, and the Courts of Justice there, and Westminster Bridge; and to enable a less Number of Commissioners to execute the several Acts relating to the said Bridge than at present are required by Law; and for Relief of George and James King, with regard to a Lease taken by their late Father from the said Commissioners.
Citation	29 Geo. 2. c. 38
Territorial extent	Great Britain
Dates
Royal assent	27 May 1756
Commencement	13 November 1755 [a]
Repealed	4 August 1853
Other legislation
Repealed by	Westminster Bridge Act 1853
Relates to	Westminster Bridge Act 1735 Westminster Bridge Act 1736 Westminster Bridge Act 1737 Westminster Bridge Act 1738 Westminster Bridge Act 1739 Westminster Bridge Act 1740 Westminster Bridge Act 1741 Westminster Bridge Act 1743 Westminster Bridge Act 1744 Westminster Bridge Act 1757 Prickard's Estate and Westminster Bridge Commissioners Act 1814 Westminster Bridge Act 1850
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Westminster Bridge Act 1757
Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long title	An Act to enable the Commissioners for building Westminster Bridge to widen the Street, or Avenue, leading from Cockspur Street to the Passage in Spring Garden, near Saint James's Park.
Citation	30 Geo. 2. c. 34
Territorial extent	Great Britain
Dates
Royal assent	28 June 1757
Commencement	2 December 1756 [a]
Repealed	4 August 1853
Other legislation
Repealed by	Westminster Bridge Act 1853
Relates to	Westminster Bridge Act 1735 Westminster Bridge Act 1736 Westminster Bridge Act 1737 Westminster Bridge Act 1738 Westminster Bridge Act 1739 Westminster Bridge Act 1740 Westminster Bridge Act 1741 Westminster Bridge Act 1743 Westminster Bridge Act 1744 Westminster Bridge Act 1756 Prickard's Estate and Westminster Bridge Commissioners Act 1814 Westminster Bridge Act 1850
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Prickard's Estate and Westminster Bridge Commissioners Act 1814
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act for vesting in the Commissioners of Westminster Bridge the legal Estate in Fee Simple of certain Estates vested in Thomas Prickard, an Infant Trustee, and others; and for confirming a Sale made by the said Commissioners, and for making them a Corporation, and giving them further Powers of selling and leasing.
Citation	54 Geo. 3. c. cxxxii
Territorial extent	United Kingdom
Dates
Royal assent	17 June 1814
Commencement	17 June 1814 [b]
Repealed	4 August 1853
Other legislation
Repealed by	Westminster Bridge Act 1853
Relates to	Westminster Bridge Act 1735 Westminster Bridge Act 1736 Westminster Bridge Act 1737 Westminster Bridge Act 1738 Westminster Bridge Act 1739 Westminster Bridge Act 1740 Westminster Bridge Act 1741 Westminster Bridge Act 1743 Westminster Bridge Act 1744 Westminster Bridge Act 1756 Westminster Bridge Act 1757 Westminster Bridge Act 1850
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Westminster Bridge Act 1850 [c]
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to enable the Commissioners of Westminster Bridge to build a temporary Bridge across the River Thames from Bridge Street in the City of Westminster to the opposite Shore in the County of Surrey.
Citation	13 & 14 Vict. c. cxii
Territorial extent	United Kingdom
Dates
Royal assent	14 August 1850
Commencement	14 August 1850 [b]
Repealed	4 August 1853
Other legislation
Repealed by	Westminster Bridge Act 1853
Relates to	Westminster Bridge Act 1735 Westminster Bridge Act 1736 Westminster Bridge Act 1737 Westminster Bridge Act 1738 Westminster Bridge Act 1739 Westminster Bridge Act 1740 Westminster Bridge Act 1741 Westminster Bridge Act 1743 Westminster Bridge Act 1744 Westminster Bridge Act 1756 Westminster Bridge Act 1757 Prickard's Estate and Westminster Bridge Commissioners Act 1814 Westminster Bridge Act 1850 Lands Clauses Consolidation Act 1845
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Westminster Bridge Act 1853 [d]
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to transfer Westminster Bridge and the estates of the Commissioners of Westminster Bridge to the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Works and Public Buildings, and to enable such last-mentioned Commissioners to remove the present bridge and to build a new bridge on or near the site thereof.
Citation	16 & 17 Vict. c. 46
Territorial extent	United Kingdom
Dates
Royal assent	4 August 1853
Commencement	4 August 1853 [b]
Other legislation
Repeals/revokes	Westminster Bridge Act 1735 Westminster Bridge Act 1736 Westminster Bridge Act 1737 Westminster Bridge Act 1738 Westminster Bridge Act 1739 Westminster Bridge Act 1740 Westminster Bridge Act 1741 Westminster Bridge Act 1743 Westminster Bridge Act 1744 Westminster Bridge Act 1757 Westminster Bridge Act 1756 Prickard's Estate and Westminster Bridge Commissioners Act 1814 Westminster Bridge Act 1850
Amended by	Local Law (Greater London Council and Inner London Boroughs) Order 1965
Relates to	Westminster Bridge Act 1859
Status: Partially repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Westminster Bridge Act 1859 [e]
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to empower the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Works and Public Buildings to acquire additional Space for the Western Approach to Westminster New Bridge.
Citation	22 & 23 Vict. c. 58
Territorial extent	United Kingdom
Dates
Royal assent	13 August 1859
Commencement	13 August 1859 [b]
Repealed	1 April 1965
Other legislation
Repealed by	Local Law (Greater London Council and Inner London Boroughs) Order 1965
Relates to	Westminster Bridge Act 1853 Westminster Bridge Act 1864
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Westminster Bridge Act 1864
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act for the better regulation of the traffic on Westminster Bridge and for the prevention of obstructions thereon.
Citation	27 & 28 Vict. c. 88
Territorial extent	United Kingdom
Dates
Royal assent	29 July 1864
Commencement	29 July 1864 [b]
Repealed	18 July 1973
Other legislation
Repealed by	Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1973
Relates to	Westminster Bridge Act 1853 Westminster Bridge Act 1859
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

For over 600 years (at least 1129–1729), the nearest Thames bridge to London Bridge was at Kingston. From late Tudor times congestion in trading hours at London Bridge (for road goods and carriages from Kent, Essex, much of Surrey, Middlesex and beyond) often amounted to more than an hour. ^[3] A bridge at Westminster was proposed in 1664, but opposed by the Corporation of London and the watermen. Further opposition held sway in 1722. However an intervening bridge (albeit in timber) was built at Putney in 1729 and the scheme received parliamentary approval in 1736. Financed by private capital, lotteries and grants, Westminster Bridge was built between 1739–1750, under the supervision of the Swiss engineer Charles Labelye. ^[4] The bridge opened on 18 November 1750. ^[5]

The City of London responded to Westminster Bridge and the population growth by removing the buildings on London Bridge and widening it in 1760–63. With Putney Bridge, the bridge paved the way for four others within three decades: Blackfriars Bridge (1769, built by the City), Kew Bridge (1759), Battersea Bridge (1773), and Richmond Bridge (1777) by which date roads and vehicles were improved and fewer regular goods transported by water.

The bridge assisted the expanding West End to the developing South London as well as goods and carriages from the more estuarine counties and the East Sussex and Kentish ports. Without the bridge, traffic to and from the greater West End would have to negotiate streets often as congested as London Bridge, principally the Strand/Fleet Street and New Oxford Street/Holborn. Roads on both sides of the river were also built and improved, including Charing Cross Road and around the Elephant & Castle in Southwark.

By the mid-19th century the bridge was subsiding badly and expensive to maintain. The current bridge was designed by Thomas Page and opened on 24 May 1862. ^[6] With a length of 820 feet (250 m) and a width of 85 feet (26 m), ^[7] it is a seven-arch, cast-iron ^[8] bridge with Gothic detailing by Charles Barry (the architect of the Palace of Westminster). The bridge carried a tram line for much of the first half of the twentieth century, from 1906 until 1952. On 5 July that year the last tram made a ceremonial journey across the bridge. ^[9] Since the removal of Rennie's New London Bridge in 1967 it is the oldest road structure which crosses the Thames in central London.

On 22 March 2017, a terrorist attack started on the bridge and continued into Bridge Street and Old Palace Yard. Five people – three pedestrians, one police officer, and the attacker – died as a result of the incident. A colleague of the officer (who was stationed nearby) was armed and shot the attacker. More than 50 people were injured. An investigation into the attack was conducted by the Metropolitan Police. ^[10]

Image gallery

• 
  The Building of Westminster Bridge by Samuel Scott, 1742
• 
  The first Westminster Bridge as painted by Canaletto, 1747. Yale Center for British Art, New Haven.
• 
  London Seen Through an Arch of Westminster Bridge by Canaletto, 1747
• 
  An Arch of Westminster Bridge by Samuel Scott, 1750
• 
  Westminster Bridge, around 1750. The proprietors of the bridge had to pay compensation to the operators of the earlier 'Horseferry', and to local watermen
• 
  Westminster & Lambeth, 1746. Westminster Bridge, opened in 1740, connects Westminster to Lambeth; Huntley Ferry crosses the river on the site of the future Vauxhall Bridge
• 
  The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons by J. M. W. Turner, 1835, with Westminster Bridge on the right
• 
  1897 map, showing Lambeth Palace, Lambeth Bridge, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Bridge
• 
  Street lamps on the bridge
• 
  The coats of arms of Queen Victoria and Albert, Prince Consort on the bridge
• 
  The coat of arms of Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston on the bridge. Palmerston was Prime Minister when the current bridge was opened.
• 
  Westminster Bridge By-Laws Notice
• 
  The South Bank Lion at the east end of Westminster Bridge

In popular culture

Westminster Bridge and surrounding landmarks at night

Street artists on Westminster Bridge and London Eye in the background

• In the 1964 Doctor Who serial The Dalek Invasion of Earth , the Daleks are seen moving across it in the 22nd Century. ^[11]
• In 1807 the famous poem Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802 by William Wordsworth, written while standing on Westminster Bridge, was published in the "Collection of Poems" in two volumes.
• In the 2002 British horror film 28 Days Later , the protagonist awakes from a coma to find London deserted and walks over an eerily empty Westminster Bridge whilst looking for signs of life.
• Westminster Bridge is the start and finish point for the Bridges Handicap Race, a traditional London running race.
• The bridge was the site of a Pit Stop during the fourth season of the Israeli version of The Amazing Race. ^[12]
• In the finale of the 24th James Bond film Spectre , Blofeld's helicopter crashes into Westminster Bridge.
• In the 2019 mobile game Mario Kart Tour, a track based on London called London Loop is featured in the game and makes an appearance in the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass DLC Wave 2. In all three variants of the original track in Mario Kart Tour, the race begins on the bridge, as well as in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

See also

• List of crossings of the River Thames
• List of bridges in London

Notes

1. Start of session.
3. Section 2.
4. Section 27.
5. Section 7.

References

1. Becky Jones，Clare Lewis (2012). The Bumper Book of London: Everything You Need to Know About London and More... Frances Lincoln. p. 127. ISBN   978-1-781011-03-4.
2. Historic England. "Westminster Bridge (1081058)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 27 November 2008.
3. Pierce, Patricia, Old London Bridge – The Story of the Longest Inhabited Bridge in Europe, Headline Books, 2001, ISBN   0-7472-3493-0 at p.45
4. Walker, R. J. B. (1979). Old Westminster Bridge: The Bridge of Fools. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN   978-0715378373.
5. Cookson, Brian (October 2010). "Westminster Bridge" (PDF). London Historians. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
6. John Eade. "Where Thames Smooth Waters Glide". Thames.me.uk. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
7. Thames Tideway Tunnel (September 2013). "Tunnel and Bridge Assessments: Central Zone: Westminster Bridge" (PDF). Thames Water Utilities. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
8. Roberts, Howard; Godfrey, Walter H., eds. (1951). "Westminster Bridge". Survey of London. Vol. 23, Lambeth: South Bank and Vauxhall. London: London County Council. pp. 66–68. Retrieved 1 April 2017– via British History Online.
9. Marshall, Prince (1972) (2 February 1972). Wheels of London. The Sunday Times Magazine. p. 95. ISBN   0-7230-0068-9.
10. "London attack: What we know so far". BBC News. BBC. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
11. "The Dalek Invasion of Earth: Doctor Who classic episode #2". TheGuardian.com . 27 March 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
12. "The Race Halts!". HaMerotz LaMillion . Season 4. Episode 20. 28 January 2015. Channel 2.

External links

• Westminster Bridge (1750) at Structurae
• Westminster Bridge (1862) at Structurae
• Interactive Panorama: Westminster Bridge Archived 13 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine

51°30′03″N0°07′19″W / 51.50083°N 0.12194°W / 51.50083; -0.12194