Albert Bridge, London
Albert Bridge is a road bridge over the Tideway of the River Thames connecting Chelsea in Central London on the north, left bank to Battersea on the south. Designed and built by Rowland Mason Ordish in 1873 as an Ordish–Lefeuvre system modified cable-stayed bridge. In 1973 the Greater London Council added two concrete piers, which transformed the central span into a simple beam bridge. It is an English Heritage Grade II* listed building.
About Albert Bridge, London in brief
Albert Bridge is a road bridge over the Tideway of the River Thames connecting Chelsea in Central London on the north, left bank to Battersea on the south. Designed and built by Rowland Mason Ordish in 1873 as an Ordish–Lefeuvre system modified cable-stayed bridge. It proved to be structurally unsound, so between 1884 and 1887 Sir Joseph Bazalgette incorporated some of the design elements of a suspension bridge. In 1973 the Greater London Council added two concrete piers, which transformed the central span into a simple beam bridge. As a result, today the bridge is an unusual hybrid of three different design styles. It is an English Heritage Grade II* listed building. Nicknamed “The Trembling Lady” because of its tendency to vibrate when large numbers of people walked over it, the bridge has signs at its entrances that warn troops to break step whilst crossing the bridge. The bridge is the second-least busy Thames road bridge in London; only Southwark Bridge carries less traffic. In 1992, Albert Bridge was rewired and painted in an unusual colour scheme designed to make it more conspicuous in poor visibility, and avoid being damaged by ships. At night it is illuminated by 4,000 LEDs adding to its status as a landmark. In 1842 the Commission of Woods, Forests, and Land Revenues recommended the construction of an embankment at Chelsea to free land for development. In 1860, Prince Albert suggested that a new tollbridge built between the two existing bridges would be profitable, and in the early 1860s, the Albert Bridge Company was formed with the aim of building this new crossing.
Work on the Victoria Bridge began in 1851 and was completed in 1858, with work on the Chelsea Embankment beginning in 1862. Meanwhile, the proposal to demolish Batteringsea Bridge had become dilapidated by the mid-19th century. It had grown unpopular and was considered unsafe, while the newer Victoria Bridge, meanwhile, suffered severe congestion. The new bridge was built in 1864 on condition that it was completed within five years. A proposal put forward in 1863 was blocked by strong opposition from the operators of BatterSea Bridge, which was less than 500 yards from the proposed site of the new bridge and whose owners were consequently concerned over potential loss of custom. It was completed on the same day as the new Victoria Bridge and is one of only two Thames road bridges in central London never to have been replaced. It has been open to vehicles throughout its existence, other than for brief spells during repairs, and is now a Grade II-listed building. The tollbooths remained in place and are the only surviving examples of bridge Tollbooths in London. The wooden BatterSEA Bridge had been built in 1771 and was abandoned in 1871. The replacement of the latter by a more modern structure was proposed in 1842, but was abandoned when it became unpopular.
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