What is Westminster Bridge?

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Westminster Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames between Westminster and Lambeth, in London, England. The current bridge, opened in 1862, is the second on the site and replaced an earlier stone bridge that had opened in 1750, but which was subsiding badly and expensive to maintain. Westminster Bridge is a seven-arch wrought iron bridge which has gothic detailing by Charles Barry (the architect of the Palace of Westminster). It is the only bridge over the Thames that spans seven arches and is the oldest bridge in the central area of the river Thames.

The bridge is predominantly green, the same colour as the leather seats in the House of Commons which is on the side of the Palace of Westminster nearest the bridge. This is in contrast to Lambeth Bridge which is red, the same colour as the seats in the House of Lords and is on the opposite side of the Houses of Parliament.

It links the Palace of Westminster on the west side of the river with County Hall and the London Eye on the east and was the finishing point during the early years of the London Marathon.

The next bridge downstream is Hungerford footbridge and upstream is Lambeth Bridge.

Trivia

In the 2002 science fiction film 28 Days Later, the protagonist awakes from a coma to find London deserted, and walks over the Westminster Bridge whilst looking for people.

Westminster Bridge is the start and finish point for the Bridges Handicap Race, a traditional London running race.

William Wordsworth wrote the sonnet Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802.

In the British Science Fiction series Doctor Who, Westminster Bridge has been used for various location shots. It was used originally in 1964 in the serial The Dalek Invasion of Earth which depicts the structure as desolate and deserted. Several Daleks are seen gliding over the bridge and the adjoining Albert Embankment. The location was then re-used by the production team when the series was revived in 2005 where the ninth doctor and Rose Tyler run across the bridge in the episode Rose.

In the 2000 film 102 Dalmatians, Cruella de Vil goes mad after she hears the sound of Big Ben, and while on Westminster Bridge she sees everything white with black spots (the pattern of Dalmatians).

External links

• Westminster Bridge (1750) in the Structurae database
• Westminster Bridge (1862) in the Structurae database

Crossings of the River Thames
West: Lambeth Bridge	Westminster Bridge	East: Jubilee Line between Westminster and Waterloo

•  • [ e] Bridges of Central London, west to east
Chelsea Bridge • Grosvenor Bridge • Vauxhall Bridge • Lambeth Bridge • Westminster Bridge • Hungerford Bridge • Waterloo Bridge • Blackfriars Bridge • Blackfriars Railway Bridge • Millennium Bridge • Southwark Bridge • Cannon Street Railway Bridge • London Bridge • Tower Bridge See also: Crossings of the River Thames • Bridges of the United Kingdom