Lambeth Bridge

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Lambeth Bridge
River Thames and Lambeth Bridge-7July2007.jpg
River Thames; Lambeth Bridge with Vauxhall Bridge in the distance (as seen from London Eye)
Coordinates 51°29′40″N 0°07′23″W﻿ / ﻿51.49444°N 0.12306°W﻿ / 51.49444; -0.12306Coordinates: 51°29′40″N 0°07′23″W﻿ / ﻿51.49444°N 0.12306°W﻿ / 51.49444; -0.12306
Carries Lambeth Road
Crosses River Thames
Locale London, England
Preceded by Vauxhall Bridge
Followed by Westminster Bridge
Design Arch Bridge
Opened 19 July 1932

Lambeth Bridge is a road traffic and footbridge crossing the River Thames in an east-west direction in central London, the river flows north at the crossing point. Downstream, the next bridge is Westminster Bridge; upstream the next is Vauxhall Bridge.




Detail from upstream with DUKW, Victoria Tower in centre
Lambeth Bridge from Millbank, facing east towards Lambeth
Map of 1897, showing Lambeth Palace, Lambeth Bridge, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Bridge
The bridge nearest the camera is Westminster Bridge, the next bridge is Lambeth Bridge, and the bridge just visible in the distance is Vauxhall Bridge (as seen from the London Eye observation wheel)
Lambeth Bridge, seen from Millbank, looking north and downstream

Lambeth Bridge is on the site of a horse ferry between the Palace of Westminster and Lambeth Palace on the south bank.[1]



The current structure, a five-span steel arch, designed by engineer Sir George Humphreys and architects Sir Reginald Blomfield and G. Topham Forrest,[2] was built by Dorman Long[3] and opened on 19 July 1932 by King George V. It formerly carried four lanes of road traffic (now reduced to three lanes, one of which is a buses-only lane flowing eastbound) from a roundabout junction by the Lambeth Palace northwards to another roundabout, where the Millbank road meets Horseferry Road .

The bridge is notable at road level for the pairs of obelisks at either end of the bridge, which are surmounted by stone pinecones. However, there is a popular urban legend that they are pineapples, as a tribute[4] to Lambeth resident John Tradescant the younger, who is said to have grown the first pineapple in Britain.[5]

The bridge was declared a Grade II listed structure in 2008, providing protection to preserve its special character from unsympathetic development.[6] The listing designation includes the parapets, lamps, obelisks and the approach walls.


External links[edit]

Lambeth Bridge seen from Albert Embankment, looking north, downstream. Thames House is on the far left.