Photographs of the Bridges
Westminster Bridge, London
With the exception of Tower Bridge, Westminster Bridge is probably the most widely recognized bridge crossing the Thames in London. However, it is not so much the bridge that is instantly recognizable as the view. This is because Westminster Bridge sits a few steps away from the ornate Houses of Parliament, the iconic Big Ben clock tower, and, visible just behind those, Westminster Abbey. Most of the images you will ever see of this complex are either captured from the bridge itself, or include the bridge in the photo.
An earlier version of Westminster Bridge was constructed in 1750, becoming only the second bridge, after London Bridge, crossing the Thames near London. The current Westminster Bridge was constructed in 1862. The bridge is comprised of seven equal-sized, Industrial Age-looking arches constructed of a combination of cast and wrought iron. The spandrels have inset quatrefoil shapes surrounding coats-of-arms in between the arch and the deck. The railings have similar trefoil-shaped insets. The enormous lampposts, sitting on carved pink granite bases, continue this theme with intricate metalwork, including a Victoria and Albert monogram centered in a quatrefoil. The metalwork is painted entirely in a dark green except for the lampposts, which have additional highlights in gold.
Westminster Bridge, with its over-the-top decorations and setting among the most well-known tourist sights in London, ended up getting multiple mentions in my book, Bridgespotting: A Guide to Bridges that Connect People, Places, and Times. It gets a shout out in a sub-chapter on historic wrought-iron arch bridges in Chapter 2, a mention as a great place to view New Year’s fireworks in Chapter 3, and multiple references to its dynastic-themed and zoological decorations in Chapter 4. In Chapter 6, I discuss that it is curious how Monet painted such an enormous number of scenes of the Houses of Parliament, yet somehow always managed to leave the Westminster Bridge out of the view. Finally, Chapter 9 includes a full description of a tour of the Thames bridges in London, bracketed by Tower Bridge on the east and Westminster Bridge on the west.
