London Bridge, London

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London Bridge, London

London Bridge, London

For pretty much as long as London has been… well, London, there’s been a bridge standing right here. The first one went up over 2,000 years ago, and since then it’s been a bit of a revolving door for bridges—Romans built one, William the Conqueror gave it a go, and King John had his moment too.

Back in 1014, when the Danes were running the show in London, King Ethelred the Unready—a man as prepared for battle as his name suggests—decided to team up with King Olaf of Norway and a band of Vikings. Yes, Saxons and Vikings were together at last. They sailed up the Thames, tied ropes to the wooden supports of the bridge, let the tide carry them downstream, and yoink!—down came the bridge. And just like that, the world got its catchiest medieval jingle: “London Bridge is Falling Down.”

By Tudor times, the bridge was basically a medieval high street, with 600 buildings, some six stories tall, crammed shoulder to shoulder. It was so packed, it became its own city ward. And as if bumper-to-bumper Tudor traffic wasn’t enough, the bridge also had a rather grim flair for home decor—namely, the severed heads of traitors displayed proudly on spikes. Yikes...

But the bridge couldn’t handle the modern hustle. By the 1960s, it was literally sinking at one end, buckling under the weight of traffic and time. So what did Britain do? Sell it, of course! For £1 million, or about $2.4 million back then, an American oil tycoon bought it, shipped it piece-by-piece across the Atlantic, and reassembled it over a lake in Arizona, where it stands to this day, probably wondering what happened.

The current London Bridge, built in 1973, is a minimalist affair: clean lines, pre-stressed concrete, some polished granite, and about as much flair as a spreadsheet. But hey—it gets the job done.

And once a year, for one glorious Sunday in autumn, the bridge trades buses and bikes for a flock of sheep. It's the Sheep Drive, an ancient right of the Freemen of the City, who lead their woolly companions across the bridge in a ceremony that's part tradition, part traffic-stopping spectacle.

Because why not?

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London Bridge on Map

Sight Name: London Bridge
Sight Location: London, England (See walking tours in London)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in London, England

Create Your Own Walk in London

Create Your Own Walk in London

Creating your own self-guided walk in London is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Kensington/Knightsbridge Walking Tour

Kensington/Knightsbridge Walking Tour

Situated just below Hyde Park, Knightsbridge and South Kensington are two adjacent neighborhoods with grand Victorian homes and leafy garden squares. Home to London’s most expensive homes, Knightsbridge has some of the highest density of millionaires in the world. This is clearly reflected in the selection of stores & restaurants in the area, including the famous Harvey Nichols and Harrods...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.5 Km or 2.8 Miles
London's Historic Pubs Walk

London's Historic Pubs Walk

If there’s any more iconic symbol for London than Big Ben or the London Eye, then it must be the traditional English pub. And London sure is full of them, dating from pre-Victorian times to just about five minutes ago.

With so much history surrounding London there is no shortage of historic pubs to choose from. Whether you fancy half-timbered, rambling watering holes or small but perfectly...  view more

Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 5.6 Km or 3.5 Miles
Walk around Buckingham Palace

Walk around Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace, the British monarch's official residence, is a must-see for anyone visiting London, but so are the adjacent royal establishments that give a unique window into the royal way of life. On this self-guided walking tour, along with Buckingham Palace and its memorable fountain, you will visit the St. James's private royal residence, the wonderful Queen's Gallery, and...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles
South Bank Walking Tour

South Bank Walking Tour

London’s South Bank, stretching along the southern side of the River Thames, roughly between Westminster Bridge and Tower Bridge, is one of the most interesting and liveliest parts of the British capital. Here, London’s old soul and modern edge shake hands... and then probably go grab a pint together. Famous for its arts, culture, food, and scenic riverside walks, the area has a long and...  view more

Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.8 Km or 3 Miles
Charles Dickens Tour

Charles Dickens Tour

Imagine a world without Dickens. No Oliver Twist, no Ebenezer Scrooge, no brooding orphans wandering foggy streets with suspiciously eloquent vocabularies. Tough to picture, right? That’s because Charles Dickens didn’t just leave a mark on literature—he practically steamrolled through it in a horse-drawn carriage. Recognized as the undisputed heavyweight of Victorian storytelling, he...  view more

Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.5 Km or 2.8 Miles
Sherlock Holmes Tour in London

Sherlock Holmes Tour in London

Among a myriad of other, real-life celebrities who have ever called London their home, perhaps the most famous is the fictional consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, created by Conan Doyle. Indeed, the ingenious sleuth has left an indelible mark on the literary and cultural landscape of London ever since the appearance of the first stories about him in the late 1880s. Years on, there are several...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles

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