London Bridge: Not Victorian, But a 1970s Concrete Span

Despite the nursery rhyme and popular imagination, the current London Bridge is a late-20th-century concrete and steel structure—not Victorian, not medieval, and not the iconic Tower Bridge (which is Victorian, opened 1894).

Bridge Succession at This Site

The Victorian Bridge's Fate

Rennie's 1831 bridge—often called "the Victorian London Bridge"—was sold to American entrepreneur Robert McCulloch in 1968 for $2.46M, dismantled, shipped, and reconstructed at Lake Havasu City, Arizona (completed 1971). It remains a tourist attraction there.

Current Bridge Specifications

• Type – Prestressed concrete box girder
• Length – 928 ft (283 m)
• Width – 105 ft (32 m); 4 traffic lanes + pedestrian/cycle paths
• Spans – 3 spans (central 340 ft / 104 m)
• Construction – 1967-1972; cost £4M (£60M today)
• Design life – 120 years

Why the Confusion?

• "London Bridge is falling down" rhyme references medieval bridge's constant repairs
• Tower Bridge (1894, Victorian Gothic) visually dominates; tourists conflate them
• Victorian bridge (Rennie's) stood 136 years—longest tenure
• American relocation created "London Bridge in Arizona" narrative

Cultural Note

The current bridge appears in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Death Eater attack), Bridget Jones's Diary, and countless London establishing shots—usually misidentified as Tower Bridge by global audiences.