Putney Bridge
Coordinates: 51 ° 28 ′ 1 " N , 0 ° 12 ′ 47" W.
| Putney Bridge | ||
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| Official name | Putney Bridge | |
| place | London | |
| overall length | 213.36 m | |
| width | 13.11 m | |
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Putney Bridge is a road bridge over the River Thames in London . It connects the district of Fulham in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham on the north side with the Putney district in the London Borough of Wandsworth on the south side. The concrete and granite- clad bridge is 213.36 m (700 ft. ) Long and 13.11 m (43 ft.) Wide, with the A219 main road above it.
history
The construction of the bridge was approved by Parliament in 1726, despite strong opposition from the ferrymen and the Corporation of London , which feared that the London Bridge would become less attractive . Construction began in March 1729 and the bridge was opened in November of the same year. The wooden bridge designed by the architect Sir Jacob Ackworth was created under the direction of the carpenter Thomas Philipps. The use of the bridge was subject to tolls , there were toll booths at both ends of the bridge.
In October 1795, the writer Mary Wollstonecraft attempted to kill herself by jumping into the river. William Turner created a painting with the bridge as the main subject. The Boat Race , the traditional duel between the rowing teams of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge , has started at Putney Bridge since 1845 .
In 1870, a barge caused considerable property damage when it collided with the bridge and nearly collapsed three of the piers. This event led to the planning of a new building. The Metropolitan Board of Works acquired the bridge in 1879, abolished the toll in 1880 and hired Joseph Bazalgette to direct the construction; the cost of construction was around £ 240,000. The official opening took place on May 29, 1886 by the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII , and his wife Alexandra .
Web links
Putney Bridge
Putney Bridge at night
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upstream Hammersmith Bridge |
River crossings of the Thames |
downstream Fulham Railway Bridge |