Southwark Bridge ( ) is an

arch bridge An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its structural load, loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either si ...

in London, for traffic linking the district of

Southwark 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 ...

and the

City A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

across the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

. Besides when others are closed for temporary repairs, it has the least traffic of the Thames bridges in London.

History

Completion of Southwark Bridge by John Rennie 1819

In 1811 the private Southwark Bridge Company was formed, and authorised by the ( 51 Geo. 3. c. clxvi) to build a bridge across the Thames. Construction of the first Southwark Bridge, designed by

John Rennie the Elder John Rennie (7 June 1761 – 4 October 1821) was a Scottish civil engineer who designed many bridges, canals, docks and warehouses, and a pioneer in the use of structural cast-iron. Early years John Rennie was born near Phantassie in Haddin ...

, commenced in 1814, and it opened in 1819, having cost £700,000 to build, equivalent to £ in . Fifty people lost their lives during the construction. On the 1818 Cary map of London, it was labelled as Queen Street Bridge. All subsequent maps label it as Southwark Bridge. The bridge consisted of three large cast-iron spans supported by granite piers. The bridge was notable for having the longest cast iron span, , ever made. Unsurprisingly, it became known colloquially as "The Iron Bridge" as mentioned inter alia in Charles Dickens' "Little Dorrit". The iron spans were cast in Masbrough,

Rotherham Rotherham ( ) is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies at the confluence of the River Rother, South Yorkshire, River Rother, from which the town gets its name, and the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don. It is the largest settlement ...

. It was a commercial tolled operation which was trying to compete with the toll free Blackfriars and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

bridges nearby, but the company became bankrupt. From 1864 the bridge was rented by the

City of London Corporation The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the local authority of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United Kingdom's f ...

, and made toll-free. Following the passage of the ( 28 & 29 Vict. c. cxcvi) it was purchased outright by the corporation in 1868 for £218,868, equivalent to £ in , about a third of the construction cost. The Southwark Bridge Company was subsequently wound-up by the ( 35 & 36 Vict. c. cl). In 1912 the City of London Corporation decided a wider replacement bridge was required, to accommodate increased traffic. A new bridge on the site was designed by

Ernest George Sir Ernest George (13 June 1839 – 8 December 1922) was a British architect, landscape and architectural watercolourist, and etcher. Life and work Born in London, Ernest George began his architectural training in 1856, under Samuel Hewitt ...

and Basil Mott. A contract was awarded to Sir William Arrol & Co. in 1913 to construct the bridge for the Bridge House Estates. War delayed progress, and the bridge was eventually opened for use on 6 June 1921 by King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

. Halfway along the bridge on the Western side is a plaque which is inscribed:

''Re-built by the Bridge House Estates Committee''
''of the
Corporation of London The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the local authority of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United Kingdom's fi ...
''
''1913-1921''
''Opened for traffic by their Majesties''
''
King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...
and Queen Mary''
''6th June 1921''
''Sir Ernest Lamb CMG, JP Chairman''
'' Basil Mott, CB Engineer''
''Sir
Ernest George Sir Ernest George (13 June 1839 – 8 December 1922) was a British architect, landscape and architectural watercolourist, and etcher. Life and work Born in London, Ernest George began his architectural training in 1856, under Samuel Hewitt ...
RA Architect''

The bridge provides access to Upper Thames Street on the north bank and, due to the ring of steel, there is no further road access to the City and the north. The bridge is owned and maintained by Bridge House Estates, a charitable trust overseen by the

. The current bridge was given Grade II listed structure status in 1995.

Nearby

At the north-west side is Vintners' Court, a 1990s office block which has a classical façade of columns and pediment; this was developed on the site owned by the

Worshipful Company of Vintners The Worshipful Company of Vintners, one of the Great Twelve City Livery Companies, retains close links with the wine trade. It traces its origins to the 12th century and received its swan rights from King Edward IV. Its motto is ''Vinum Exhi ...

whose hall is behind it on Upper Thames Street. The south end is near the

Tate Modern Tate Modern is an art gallery in London, housing the United Kingdom's national collection of international Modern art, modern and contemporary art (created from or after 1900). It forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Live ...

, the Clink Prison Museum, the

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a Theater (structure), theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 at Southwark, close to the south bank of the Thames, by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. It was ...

, and the

WPP plc WPP plc is a British multinational communications, advertising, public relations, technology, and commerce holding company headquartered in London, England. It is the world's largest advertising company, as of 2023. WPP plc owns many companie ...

and

Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, internet, telecommunications and mail, postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-rang ...

office buildings. Below the bridge on the south side are some old steps, which were once used by Thames watermen as a place to moor their boats and wait for customers. Below the bridge on the south side is a pedestrian tunnel, part of the Queen's Walk Embankment, containing a

frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...

depicting the Thames frost fairs. Cycle Superhighway 7 runs along the bridge.

In popular culture

*Southwark Bridge appears in many films, including '' Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' (2007). *The cream painted houses on the south side of the bridge, Anchor Terrace, just after the FT building, were used for the exterior shots of the shared house in '' This Life''. *The 1819-1920 "Iron Bridge" is mentioned in the first sentence of "

Our Mutual Friend ''Our Mutual Friend'', published in 1864–1865, is the last novel completed by English author Charles Dickens and is one of his most sophisticated works, combining savage satire with social analysis. It centres on, in the words of critic J. ...

" by Charles Dickens, and several times in his "

Little Dorrit ''Little Dorrit'' is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, originally published in Serial (literature), serial form between 1855 and 1857. The story features Amy Dorrit, youngest child of her family, born and raised in the Marshalsea pris ...

", where in Chapter 24 he identifies the toll as being one penny. *In the 1964 Disney film ''

Mary Poppins Mary Poppins may refer to: * Mary Poppins (character), a nanny with magical powers * Mary Poppins (franchise), based on the fictional nanny ** Mary Poppins (book series), ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fanta ...

'', the Banks family mistakenly think that George W. Banks has committed suicide by jumping off the bridge after he is fired from his job at the bank. *DCI Luther and Alice Morgan meet at Southwark Bridge in the season 3 finale of the BBC crime drama '' Luther''. *The bridge appears in the final scene of '' Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'' with Tom leaning over the bridge with his cell phone in his mouth set to drop antique guns in the Thames River.

References

{{Coord, 51, 30, 32, N, 0, 05, 40, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Bridges completed in 1819 Rebuilt buildings and structures in the United Kingdom Bridges completed in 1921 Bridges across the River Thames Grade II listed bridges in London Transport in the London Borough of Southwark Bridges in the City of London Former toll bridges in England Grade II listed buildings in the City of London Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Southwark Bridges in London