Thompson's Map of 1822
Thompson's Map of 1822
de Wit's view of 1689-1695
Frederick de Wit's view of London was obviously intended to be taken as representing the town
as it then was. Wren's monument to the Great Fire completed in 1677 was depicted, so too was the 134
foot maypole in the Strand erected in 1661.
But the view in reality was a copy of a family of prints over the last 25 years and was ultimately
derived from Wencelaus Hollar's long panorama in 1647.
This is why (in the detail below) you can see no houses on the northern end of the bridge -
they were destroyed by fire in 1633. Much of the city is shown in its pre-fire state.
On the other hand St Paul's Cathedral is shown complete (which it was not until 1710).
Detail from de Witt's view of 1689-1695
1684? The Frozen Thames Looking Eastwards towards Old London Bridge,
by Abraham Danielsz Hondius -
This appears to show the break up of large icefloes below the bridge?
London Bridge Frozen, 1684? Hondius, Museum of London
1710: London Bridge -
1700: This wheel was built by George Sorocold, c1700. It was 20 feet in diameter and had 26 blades 14 feet long, reinforced by four rims or rings. It drove eight pumps by means of crankshafts and rocking beams and could raise more than 2,500 tons of water 120 feet high per day. The water wheel could be raised or lowered as the level of the Thames rose or fell because the axles were mounted on pivoted levers.Waterwheel at London Bridge -
One of the four water wheels at the London Bridge Water Works, 1749.
Old London Bridge Waterworks. Mechanics Magazine 1831
MECHANICS MAGAZINE, December 10, 1831
OLD LONDON BRIDGE WATERWORKS
... the once celebrated appendages to the old bridge -the Water-Works -
long esteemed one of the greatest curiosities of this, or perhaps any other country;
and, in general, allowed to be superior to those of Marly.
It appears, from undoubted authority, that these works originated, in 1582, with one Peter Maurice,
a German engineer, who laid before the Corporation a scheme for supplying the City of London with Thames water.
This scheme being approved of, he was allowed, on lease, the use of one arch of the old bridge,
and a place on the north side to fix his engine.
The duration of his lease was for 500 years, and the yearly rent ten shillings.
In the course of two years after he obtained a lease of a second arch.
The proprietor and his posterity grew rich, and the public benefitted immensely by the invention.
Dr. Hughson states, that in the year 1701, they sold the property to Richard Soames, a goldsmith, for £36,000;
Maurice having previously obtained another lease of the fourth arch.
Soames got from the City a confirmation of Maurice's lease, at the yearly rent of twenty shillings, and a fine of £300;
after which, Soames divided the whole property into 300 shares, at £500 each share, and formed a company.
It must here be observed, that the vacuities or open spaces for the passage of the stream were not termed archways,
but "locks," bearing the following names:
The first four openings on the north side were called "mill-locks;" then followed in succession the Shore Lock, King's Lock, Little Lock, St. Mary's Lock, Chapel Lock,
the Long Entry, Gut Lock, Pedlar's Lock, Fourth Lock, Rock Lock, Second lock, and Shore Lock, adjoining the Surrey shore.
The waterway was so contracted by the number of piers and extent of the starlings,
that with the exception of the times of high and low water, the fall was found sufficient
to turn the immense wheels of the WaterWorks, and effectually to work the powerful engines attached to them.
The machinery of which a representation is given [above], was designed by Mr. Beighton, and improved by Smeaton.
[The lower diagram] is a side elevation of the largest engine, taken from the sixth pier of the bridge.
AA, the starlings of the fifth pier, showing the heads of the piles.
The water-wheel BB fills the space between the two starlings as nearly as possible without touching,
and the axes of the wheel rest on and turn in plummerblocks C, resting also on headstocks DD, supported by the starlings.
The waterwheel has four rings EEE, each having six arms morticed into the axis;
each of these rings is provided with 24 starts, e, morticed into it, upon which are firmly secured the float-boards.
Upon either end of the main axis are fixed two large wheels (of wood), having on their periphery a ring of iron cogs,
fixed on in segments. These wheels G take into two trundles, and by connecting-rods H, and cranks,
form the communication to the beams I, which are connected at their other ends to the pump-rods.
There are six pumps, beams, &c, three on each side of the water-wheel (only one set are exhibited in the drawings).
It will be seen that the beams or regulators (as they are sometimes called) are arched at one extremity,
upon which the chains attracted to the piston-rods are laid MNO.
The joints of the crank-rods, f, g, h, are screwed together round the crank neck,
and furnished with brasses in the usual way;
the connecting-rods have each a circular flange in the centre, held together by four screws.
These screws being removed, the connecting-rod is then divided,
and the pistons may be drawn completely out of their cylinders, for the purpose of any repairs that may be required.
Each pump-rod has a crosspiece, o, fixed on the top of it, to which the two outside chains are screwed,
and the lower ends of the same chain are fastened to the lower end of the arch.
These chains act to push down the pistonrods;
the other two chains which raise the rods are fastened to the top of the arch, and to the rods at the lower ends,
as shown in the beam l.
The action of the pumps (which are forcing-pumps) do not differ from those generally known.
When the solid pistons are drawn up, a vacuum is formed in the cylinders,
and the pressure of the atmosphere on the surface of the water (from which the pipe Q draws)
raises the valves at the bottom of the cylinders, and fills them.
At the descent of the buckets the lower valves shut, and the water contained in the cylinders
can find no passage but through the valves in the pipe R.
The cranks are so arranged, that a constant succession or stream of water is kept up the pipe;
r is, the outlet or main communicating with the streets.
The engines were calculated by Desaguliers to supply the enormous quantity of 1954 hogsheads in an hour
to the height of 120 feet, including the waste, allowed to be one-fifth of the whole.
1715: The well known Irish comedian Mr Doggett gave a Coat and Badge as the prize for a watermen's race
upstream from London Bridge - and it has been run annually more or less ever since!
Click Doggett's Coat and Badge
1722: congestion was becoming so serious that the Lord Mayor appointed three traffic wardens.
Traffic was to keep left on the bridge and parking restrictions to be enforced.
That is my modern summary of what happened.
But read the following extract from
"
The History and Antiquities of London ..." by Thomas Allen (1839) and tell me if I'm wrong -
In the year 1722, in the mayoralty of Sir Gerrard Conyers,
to preserve the passage free on the bridge, the court of lord mayor, aldermen, and common council,
published the following order :
'This court, being sensible of the great inconveniences and mischiefs which happen
by the disorderly leading and driving of cars, carts, coaches, and other carriages, over London-bridge,
whereby the common passage there is greatly obstructed,
doth strictly order and enjoin (pursuant to several former orders made by this court, for prevention of those mischiefs)
that three sufficient and able persons be appointed, and constantly maintained;
one by the governors of Christ's Hospital, one by the inhabitants of the ward of Bridge Within,
and the other by the bridge-masters ;
which three persons are to give their diligent and daily attendance at each end of the bridge,
and by all good means to hinder and to prevent the said inconveniences ;
and for that purpose to direct and take care that all carts,
coaches and other carriages coming out of Southwark into this City do keep all
along on the West side of the said bridge: and all carts and coaches going out of
the City do keep along on the East side of the said bridge;
and that no carman be suffered to stand across the said bridge, to load or unload;
and that they shall apprehend all such who shall be refractory, or offend herein,
and carry them before some of his Majesty's Justices of the Peace.
And further, to prevent the aforesaid obstructions, it is ordered,
that the collector of the tolls upon the said bridge shall take care that the said duties be collected,
without making a stay of the carts, for which the same is to be paid.
This is possibly the origin, or a contributary origin, of traffic in Britain driving on the left (and of course, traffic wardens!) [Don't tell me they weren't called traffic wardens then - I know that. But that's clearly what they were!]
All Freemen of the
City of London had the ancient right to
drive sheep over London Bridge into the
City. Technically it was to the cattle markets in the city -
but since there are no longer such markets - the right has ceased. However such a long tradition
has been permitted to continue on occasion.
[ I once heard Laurie Lee tell the tale of actually doing this (whether
in reality or in his dreams I do not know – it was in the Woolpack, his local…) ]
London Bridge, 1725, Jeremias Wolff (detail)
See the panorama of 1710 above. A number of the boats appear to have remained in the same positions!
1725 : The full panorama
London, 1725, Jeremias Wolff
Other details from 1725.
London, 1725, Jeremias Wolff
London, 1725, Jeremias Wolff
London, 1725, Jeremias Wolff
from "THE THAMES; or GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATIONS Of SEATS, VILLAS, PUBLIC BUILDINGS, AND PICTURESQUE SCENERY" by William Bernard Cooke, 1811 -
Another fire happening in 1728, destroyed the old city gate, which was only eleven feet wide in the opening : when rebuilt it was widened to eighteen feet, and a postern opened for foot passengers.
1731: London in 1731, Don Manuel Gonzales -
[London] bridge has nineteen arches besides the drawbridge, and is built with hewn stone, being one thousand two hundred feet in length,
and seventy four in breadth, whereof the houses built on each side take up twenty-seven feet, and the street between the houses twenty feet;
there being only three vacancies about the middle of the bridge where there are no houses, but a low stone wall, with an iron palisade,
through which is a fine view of the shipping and vessels in the river.
This street over the bridge is as much thronged, and has as brisk a trade as any street in the city;
and the perpetual passage of coaches and carriages makes it troublesome walking on it, there being no posts to keep off carriages as in other streets.
The middle vacancy was left for a drawbridge, which used formerly to be drawn up when shipping passed that way;
but no vessels come above the bridge at this day but such as can strike their masts, and pass under the arches.
Four of the arches on the north side of the bridge are now taken up with mills and engines, that raise the water to a great height, for the supply of the city;
this brings in a large revenue which, with the rents of the houses on the bridge, and other houses and lands that belong to it,
are applied as far as is necessary to the repair of it by the officers appointed for that service,
who are, a comptroller and two bridge-masters, with their subordinate officers;
and in some years, it is said, not less than three thousand pounds are laid out in repairing and supporting this mighty fabric,
though it be never suffered to run much to decay.
