London Bridge

London Bridge. . , London Bridge , One site, many bridges , The current bridge is one of many since the Romans built the first one close to this site 2,000 years ago; it is thought to have had a drawbridge in the centre to allow ships to sail upriver just like Tower Bridge does today. Through the centuries various wooden bridges were built, which collapsed or were destroyed, until a stone bridge was built in 1176. This bridge lasted 600 years. Houses were built on the bridge to bring in tax revenue. In the lower right of the illustration, over the southern gatehouse, you can see the heads of executed criminals on spikes. , , Discover the story of the world's greatest city and its people at the Museum of London 150 London Wall London EC2Y 5HN www.museumoflondon.org.uk , , City bridges , The bridges across the River Thames are a vital part of London's transport infrastructure. The City of London Corporation owns and maintains four road bridges, and since the day of its re-opening in February 2002, the Corporation has taken over full responsibility for the Millennium Bridge. The bridges need expert maintenance to ensure they do their job as gateways to the City, and to keep the river safe for transport. They jointly bear the weight of 130,000 vehicles every day, nearly 50 million a year. , , Aquatic biodiversity , The River Thames is full of life: at least 115 species of fish and350 species of invertebrates (like estuarine shrimp or mud snails). There are dozen of types of water birds, and dozens more use the river as their migratory route and feeding ground. If the river is at low tide, you can see patches of foreshore. This foreshore is of great ecological importance, as it provides a place for algae to grow, a base for seaweed and invertebrates, and feeding and spawning areas for fish. , , A bridge to the past , No one knows the real story behind the nursery rhyme about the bridge. One theory is that it commemorates an attack by the Saxons and Vikings which destroyed it. Perhaps a stronger theory is that the rhyme catalogues the slow deterioration of the medieval bridge of 1176, which lasted six hundred years, a vast period of time in which it partially collapsed twice and was severely damaged in the Great Fire of 1666. , , Thames Path National Trail , , London Bridge is falling down, , Falling down, falling down , London Bridge is falling down, , My fair lady. , Build it up with wood and clay, , Wood and clay, wood and clay, , Build it up with wood and clay, , My fair lady., Wood and clay will wash away, , Wash away, wash away, , Wood and clay will wash away, , My fair lady.