Editing Blackfriars Bridge

{{Short description|Bridge over the River Thames in London}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox bridge
|image       = Blackfriars.road.bridge.arp.750pix.jpg
|bridge_name = Blackfriars Bridge
|caption     = Blackfriars Bridge seen from [[Waterloo Bridge]]
|official_name =
|locale      = London, England
|carries     = [[A201 road]]
|crosses     = [[River Thames]]
|preceded    = [[Waterloo Bridge]]
|followed    = [[Blackfriars Railway Bridge]]
|maint       = [[Bridge House Estates]],<br />[[City of London Corporation]]
|open        = {{ubl|{{Start date and age|df=yes|1769|11|19}} (first bridge)|{{Start date and age|df=yes|1869|11|6}} (current bridge)}}
|below       =
|traffic     =
|design      = [[Arch bridge|Arch]]
|designer    = [[Joseph Cubitt]]
|builder     = P. A. Thom & Co.
|toll        = No
|spans       = 5
|mainspan    =
|length      = {{convert|923|ft}}
|width       = {{convert|105|ft|m|0}}
|heritage    = [[Listed building|Grade II listed structure]]
|coordinates = {{coord|51.5097|-0.1044|display=inline,title}}
|os_grid_reference = TQ315807
}}
[[File:Old Blackfriars Bridge under construction 1766.png|thumb|upright=1.3|Old Blackfriars Bridge under construction 1766]]
'''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.

==History==
[[Image:Blackfriars Bridge, River Thames, London, with St Pauls Cathedral.jpg|thumb|Blackfriars Bridge with [[St Paul's Cathedral]] behind]]

The first fixed crossing at Blackfriars was a {{convert|995|ft|m|adj=on}} long [[toll bridge]] designed in an Italianate style by [[Robert Mylne (architect)|Robert Mylne]] and constructed with nine semi-elliptical arches of Portland stone. Beating designs by [[John Gwynn (architect)|John Gwynn]] and [[George Dance the Younger|George Dance]], it took nine years to build, opening to the public in 1769. It was the third bridge across the Thames in the then built-up area of London, supplementing the ancient [[London Bridge]], which dated from several centuries earlier, and [[Westminster Bridge]]. It was originally named "William Pitt Bridge" (after the Prime Minister [[William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham|William Pitt the Elder]]) as a dedication, but its informal name relating to the precinct within the City named after the Blackfriars Monastery, a [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] [[priory]] which once stood nearby, was generally adopted. It was later made toll free.

The [[City of London Corporation]] was responsible for promoting it and the location between the other two bridges was chosen because it was realised that the disused wharfage of the lower [[River Fleet]] from the Thames to what became [[Ludgate Circus]] would allow access into the north bank without unduly disrupting the neighbourhood; hence its name of [[New Bridge Street]]. The Fleet can be seen discharging into the Thames at its north side. By taking an access road from its southern landing to a junction with the routes created to simplify passage between those bridges to its east and west to the south it would also add to those improvements. This created the junction at [[St George's Circus]] between [[Westminster Bridge Road]], [[Borough Road]] and the later named [[Blackfriars Road]] which crossed the largely open parish of [[Christchurch Surrey]]. The continuation to the south at the major junction at [[Elephant and Castle]] is therefore named [[London Road, Southwark|London Road]].

Although it was built of Portland stone the workmanship was very faulty. Between 1833 and 1840 extensive repairs were necessary, until at last it was decided to build a new bridge on the same site, which coincided with the creation of the [[Thames Embankment]]'s junction with the new [[Queen Victoria Street, London|Queen Victoria Street]] and required a major reconfiguration.

The original Blackfriars Bridge was dismantled in 1860. P.A. Thom & Company won the contract for the bridge's reconstruction, and they placed an order with Lloyds, Foster and Company for the required ironwork.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historywebsite.co.uk/articles/Wednesbury/Lloyd/Wednesbury.htm/ |title=The Lloyds of Wednesbury |access-date=17 October 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160121085623/http://www.historywebsite.co.uk/articles/Wednesbury/Lloyd/Wednesbury.htm |archive-date=21 January 2016 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> However, P.A. Thom encountered difficulties in finding stable foundations for the bridge, which ultimately led to financial troubles. As a result, Lloyds, Foster and Company went bankrupt, suffering a loss of £250,000 on the project. The metalwork for the bridge was ultimately constructed by The [[Patent Shaft]] and Axletree Company, [[Wednesbury]], following their acquisition of Lloyds, Foster and Company.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blackcountryhistory.org/collections/getrecord/GB146_BS-PS/|title=Patent Shaft Steel Works Ltd, Brunswick, Monway and Old Park Works, Wednesbury|access-date=17 October 2017}}</ref>

The present bridge which on 6 November 1869 was opened by Queen Victoria<ref>{{cite news|title=The Queen's Visit to the City: Opening of Blackfriars Bridge and Holborn Viaduct|newspaper=[[Evening Standard]]|location=London|date=1869-11-08|pages=6–7}}</ref> is {{convert|923|ft}} long, consisting of five wrought iron<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=693|work=Engineering Timelines|title=Blackfriars Bridge|access-date=2018-01-21}}</ref> arches built to a design by [[Joseph Cubitt]]. Cubitt also designed the adjacent rail bridge (now demolished) and it was a condition that the spans and piers of the two bridges be aligned. Like its predecessor it is owned and maintained by the [[Bridge House Estates]], a charitable trust overseen by the [[City of London Corporation]]. The [[Blackfriars and Southwark Bridges Act 1867]] put the full length and its southern end within the city's borders, in the parish of St Anne Blackfriars, and not in the adjoining borough of [[Southwark]]. Due to the volume of traffic over the bridge, it was widened between 1907 and 1910, from {{convert|70|ft|m|0}} to its present {{convert|105|ft|m|0}}.

On 14 September 1909 a [[Trams in London|tram line]] was opened across the newly widened bridge by the Lord Mayor of London, [[George Wyatt Truscott]].<ref name="Marshall">{{cite book|author=Marshall, Prince (1972)|title=Wheels of London|publisher=The Sunday Times Magazine|page=20|ISBN=0-7230-0068-9}}</ref> It closed on 5 July 1952.

The bridge attracted some international attention in June 1982, when the body of [[Roberto Calvi]], a former chairman of Italy's largest private bank, was found hanging from one of its arches with five bricks and around $14,000 in three different currencies in his pockets. Calvi's death was initially treated as suicide, but he was on the run from Italy accused of [[embezzlement]] and in 2002 forensic experts concluded that he had been murdered by the [[Sicilian Mafia|Mafia]], to whom he was indebted.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1936830.stm|title=New tests "say Calvi was murdered"|date=2002-04-19|publisher=[[BBC News]]|access-date=2018-01-21}}</ref> In 2005, five suspected members of the Mafia were tried in a Rome court for Calvi's murder, but all were acquitted in June 2007 for lack of evidence.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/19/newsid_3092000/3092625.stm|publisher=BBC News|title=1982: 'God's banker' found hanged|date=19 June 1982}}</ref>

==Decorations==
[[File:Temperance - Statue - Blackfriars Bridge north end - London - 240404.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Temperance statue]]
[[File:Queen Victoria Statue, Blackfriars Bridge.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Queen Victoria statue delivery]]
On the piers of the bridge are stone carvings of water birds by sculptor [[John Birnie Philip]]. On the East (downstream) side (i.e. the side closer to the [[Thames Estuary]] and [[North Sea]]), the carvings show marine life and seabirds; those on the West (upstream) side show freshwater birds – reflecting the role of Blackfriars as the tidal turning point.

On the north side of the bridge is a statue of [[Queen Victoria]] (funded by Sir [[Alfred Seale Haslam]]<ref name="vict">{{cite book|last=Ward-Jackson|first=Philip|title=Public sculpture of the city of London|year=2003|pages=520|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KiK0DbcUBIUC&q=%22was+mayor+of+derby%22&pg=RA1-PA275|isbn=978-0-85323-977-2|publisher=Liverpool University Press}}</ref>), to whom the bridge was dedicated.

At the north end of the bridge is a commemorative plaque documenting the bridge's history, including its reopening in 1909 by Lord Mayor Truscott, accompanied by a relief of the [[coat of arms of the City of London Corporation]].<ref name="Marshall"/>

The ends of the bridge are shaped like a pulpit in a reference to Black Friars.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://londonist.com/2015/10/hiding-in-plain-site#gallery=2133548,2133552|work=Londonist|title=11 Secret Features of Famous London Landmarks|date=20 October 2015|access-date=2018-01-21}}</ref>

==Railway station==
The bridge gave its name to [[Blackfriars Bridge railway station]] on the southern bank which opened in 1864 before closing to passengers in 1885 following the opening of what is today the main [[Blackfriars station]]. Blackfriars Bridge station continued as a goods stop until 1964 when it was completely demolished, and much of it redeveloped into offices.

The [[River Fleet]] empties into the Thames under the north end of Blackfriars Bridge. The structure was given [[listed building|Grade II listed status]] in 1972.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1064717 |desc=Blackfriars Bridge |access-date=27 November 2008}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
{{in popular culture|section|date=August 2020}} 
In 1774 the new bridge was mentioned in a popular song in [[Charles Dibdin]]'s opera ''The Waterman'',<ref>C. Dibdin, ''The Waterman; or, The First of August: A Ballad Opera, in Two Acts'' (T. Becket, London 1774).</ref> referring to the boatmen who used to carry fashionable folks to [[Vauxhall Gardens]] and [[Ranelagh Gardens]].{{poemquote|And did you not hear of the jolly young waterman,
Who at Blackfriars Bridge used for to ply?
And he feathered his oars with such skill and dexterity,
Winning each heart and delighting each eye.}}

[[Image:Blackfriars Bridge, London, England, 240404.jpg|thumb|Blackfriars Bridge viewed from upstream, looking south]]
[[Image:BlackfriarsBridgeP1020583.jpg|thumb|Blackfriars Bridge at night]]
[[File:London, under the Blackfriars Railway Bridge.jpg|right|thumb|View from the [[Thames Path]] under the [[Blackfriars Railway Bridge]]]]
A [[Bailey bridge]] constructed over the [[Rhine|River Rhine]] at [[Rees, Germany]], in 1945 by the [[Canadian Military Engineers|Royal Canadian Engineers]] (R.C.E.) was named "Blackfriars Bridge", and, at 558&nbsp;m (1814&nbsp;ft) including the ramps at each end, was the longest Bailey bridge then constructed.<ref name="CMEA">{{cite web|title=Blackfriars Bridge – Longest Bailey Bridge in the World|url=https://cmea-agmc.ca/heritage-moment/blackfriars-bridge-longest-bailey-bridge-world|publisher=Canadian Military Engineers Association|access-date=12 November 2017}}</ref>

In [[Neil Gaiman]]'s ''[[Neverwhere]]'', "Blackfriars Bridge" was named as the home of an unknown order of monks who held the key to an angelic prison. The bridge is also featured in the lyrics of the song "The Resurrectionist" by the [[Pet Shop Boys]].

In [[Louis A. Meyer]]'s ''[[Bloody Jack (novel)|Bloody Jack: Being An Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy]]'', Jacky is introduced as an orphan in early 19th-century London who lives with her orphan gang under Blackfriars Bridge.

The bridge appears during the opening sequence of the film ''[[Happy-Go-Lucky (2008 film)|Happy-Go-Lucky]]'', where the main character rides across it on a bicycle. In the 1998 spy film ''[[The Avengers (1998 film)|The Avengers]]'', the bridge is destroyed by a [[tornado]] caused by a weather-changing machine built by a mad scientist when he causes a hurricane over London.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

The bridge was featured in the film ''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]'' (2007). The Order of the Phoenix passes under it on their flight from number four, Privet Drive to Grimmauld Place.

In [[Terry Gilliam]]'s ''[[The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus]]'' (2009), [[Heath Ledger]]'s character Tony is found hanging under the Blackfriars Bridge, described by [[Terry Gilliam]] as "an homage to [[Roberto Calvi]]".<ref>[http://www.smart.co.uk/dreams/tgcanx09.htm The ''Dr Parnassus'' Press Conference at Cannes – Part 2], edited by Phil Stubbs</ref>

In [[Cassandra Clare]]'s book series ''[[The Infernal Devices]]'', Tessa Gray and Jem Carstairs meet at the bridge every year from 1878 to 2008 except for 1941 as it was deemed too dangerous due to World War II. They also get married there.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

==See also==
*[[List of crossings of the River Thames]]
*[[List of bridges in London]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book | last=Whitney | first=Charles S. | year=2003 | title=Bridges of the World: Their Design and Construction 
| place=Mineola, New York | publisher=Dover Publications | isbn=978-0486429953 | edition=Reprint | url=https://archive.org/details/bridgesofworldth0000whit | access-date=12 January 2025}}

The many difficulties encountered and innovations used in building the first Blackfriars Bridge 1759–69 are described in:
*Ted Ruddock ''Arch bridges and their builders, 1735–85'' (1979 reprinted 2009) {{ISBN|978-0-521-09021-6}}, and
*Robert Ward ''The man who buried Nelson, the surprising life of Robert Mylne'' (2007) {{ISBN|978-0-7524-3922-8}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Blackfriars Bridge}}
* {{Structurae|id=20003160|title=Blackfriars Bridge}}

{{ThamesCrossings | west=[[Waterloo & City line]] tunnel | east=[[Blackfriars Railway Bridge]]}}
{{Bridges of Central London}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Bridges across the River Thames]]
[[Category:Bridges completed in 1869]]
[[Category:Bridges in the City of London]]
[[Category:Transport in the London Borough of Southwark]]
[[Category:Grade II listed bridges in London]]
[[Category:Arch bridges in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Former toll bridges in England]]
[[Category:1869 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Grade II listed buildings in the City of London]]
[[Category:Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Southwark]]
[[Category:Bridges in London]]