Southwark Bridge

Southwark Bridge is a road and footbridge built between 1913 and 1921, designed by Basil Mott of Mott, Hay and Anderson, with the piers and turrets designed by Sir Ernest George RA. The bridge features five steel arches supported by rusticated granite piers. It has two spans measuring 123 feet and 131 feet on each side, with a central span of 141 feet. The spacing of the arches was arranged to align with the piers of Blackfriars Road Bridge and Rennie's London Bridge. The classical design of the piers reflects a typical Edwardian exuberance and was completed before the outbreak of World War I. Work on the bridge continued with delays due to material shortages until 1917. After the war, the increasing traffic congestion in the City made completing the bridge a high priority, and it became one of the first major public works projects resumed after the Armistice. Southwark Bridge was officially opened by King George V in 1921, with the total cost covered by the Bridge House Estates Committee.