Vauxhall Bridge

Vauxhall Bridge is a road bridge completed in 1906, designed by Sir Alexander Binnie and Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice, chief engineers of the London County Council, with sculpture by Frederick Pomeroy RA and Alfred Drury RA. It was opened by the Prince of Wales, later King George V, and was the first bridge to carry trams across the Thames.

The bridge is a five-span steel arch structure, 231.6 metres long. The five two-pinned arches are each formed from thirteen steel ribs bearing on steel skewbacks. The central span is 45.4 metres long, the intermediate spans 43.9 metres, and the shore spans 39.6 metres. The piers and abutments are of concrete faced with granite. The carriageway is 15.2 metres wide with a double tram track in the centre and can carry four lanes of road traffic, with two footways flanking the carriageway. The steel plate decking is supported on longitudinal joists carried on stanchions standing on the ribs where it does not rest directly on the ribs or pier framing. The foundations consist of solid masses of Portland cement concrete cased in sheet-piling.

The bridge's most distinctive feature is its ornamental bronze sculpture. Eight female figures representing the functions of local government are positioned on either side of the piers. Facing downstream, Alfred Drury's figures represent Government, Education, Fine Art and Science/Astronomy. Facing upstream, Frederick Pomeroy's figures represent Agriculture (holding a shepherd's crook and sheaf of corn), Architecture (holding a model of St Paul's Cathedral), Engineering (holding a detailed steam engine and mallet) and Pottery (holding a vase). These sculptures are unique among British river crossings. The bridge is painted in burgundy and orange with blue and white trim.

The bridge replaced an earlier structure known as Regent's Bridge, completed in 1816 and the first iron bridge to span the Thames. That bridge, designed by Sir S Bentham and modified by James Walker, comprised nine cast iron arch spans on masonry piers. Tolls were charged from 1816 until their abolition in 1879. When the Old London Bridge was removed in 1831, the altered tidal flow caused the water level to lower, and Vauxhall Bridge sustained damage that became increasingly expensive to repair. After the Metropolitan Board of Works (later succeeded by the London County Council) took ownership in 1879, it was decided to replace the bridge due to increasing traffic and the need for improved approaches and waterways. Demolition of the old bridge began in 1898 and a temporary wooden bridge was erected; construction of the new bridge commenced in 1904 under authority of an Act of 1895.

Archaeological investigation in 1998 revealed remains of an oak crossing dating to around 1500 BC, indicating crossing activity at or near this site for some 3500 years. This ancient structure may not have spanned the entire Thames but could have served as a walkway to a now submerged island.

The bridge has undergone late twentieth-century alterations, particularly to the parapets, but retains its visual and structural integrity. The cost of construction was £466,725. The contractors for the piers and foundations were Messrs. Pethick Bros, and for the superstructure, Mr Charles Wall.