Albert Bridge, London
Encyclopedia
Albert Bridge is a Grade II* listed road bridge over the River Thames
in West London
, connecting Chelsea
on the north bank to Battersea
on the south bank. Designed and built by Rowland Mason Ordish
in 1873 as an Ordish–Lefeuvre Principle
modified cable-stayed bridge
, it proved to be structurally unsound, and so between 1884 and 1887 Sir Joseph Bazalgette
incorporated some of the design elements of a suspension bridge
. The Greater London Council
carried out further strengthening work in 1973 by adding two concrete piers
, which transformed the central span into a simple beam bridge
. As a result of these modifications the bridge today is an unusual hybrid of three different design styles.
Built as a toll bridge
, it was commercially unsuccessful; six years after its opening it was taken into public ownership and the tolls were lifted. The tollbooths
remained in place however, and are the only surviving examples of bridge tollbooths in London. Nicknamed "The Trembling Lady" because of its tendency to vibrate when large numbers of people walked over it, signs at the entrances warn troops from the nearby Chelsea Barracks
to break step while crossing the bridge.
Incorporating a roadway only 27 feet (8.2 m) wide, and with serious structural weaknesses, the bridge was ill-equipped to cope with the advent of the motor vehicle during the 20th century. Despite the many calls for its demolition or pedestrianisation Albert Bridge has remained open to vehicles throughout its existence, other than for brief spells during repairs, and is one of only two Thames road bridges in central London never to have been replaced. The strengthening work carried out by Bazalgette and the Greater London Council was unable to prevent further deterioration of the bridge's structure. A series of increasingly strict traffic control measures have been introduced to limit its use and thus prolong its life, making it the least busy Thames road bridge in London except for the little-used Southwark Bridge
. The bridge's condition is continuing to degrade however, as the result of traffic load and severe rotting of the timber deck
structure caused by the urine of the many dogs using it as a route to nearby Battersea Park
.
In 1992 Albert Bridge was rewired and painted in an unusual colour scheme designed to make it more conspicuous in poor visibility, and hence avoid being damaged by collisions with shipping. At night it is illuminated by 4,000 bulbs, making it one of West London's most striking landmarks.
The historic industrial town of Chelsea
on the north bank of the River Thames
about 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Westminster
, and the rich farming village of Battersea
facing Chelsea on the south bank, were linked by the modest wooden Battersea Bridge
in 1771. In 1842 the Commission of Woods, Forests, and Land Revenues recommended the construction of an embankment
at Chelsea to free new land for development, and proposed a new bridge downstream of Battersea Bridge, and the replacement of the latter by a more modern structure. Work on the Chelsea Embankment
began in 1862, and work on the Victoria Bridge
(later renamed Chelsea Bridge), a short distance downstream of Battersea Bridge, began in 1851 and was completed in 1858. Meanwhile, the proposal to demolish Battersea Bridge was abandoned.
Although Chelsea and Battersea were then linked by two bridges, the wooden Battersea Bridge had become dilapidated by the mid-19th century. It had grown unpopular and was considered unsafe. The newer Victoria Bridge, meanwhile, suffered severe congestion. In 1860, Prince Albert suggested that a new tollbridge built between the two existing bridges would be profitable, and in the early 1860s the Albert Bridge Company was formed with the aim of building this new crossing. An 1863 proposal was blocked by strong opposition from the operators of Battersea Bridge, which was less than 500 yards (457.2 m) from the proposed site of the new bridge and whose owners were consequently concerned over potential loss of custom. A compromise was reached, and in 1864 a new Act of Parliament was passed, authorising the new bridge on condition that it was completed within five years. The Act compelled the Albert Bridge Company to purchase Battersea Bridge once the new bridge opened, and to compensate its owners by paying them £3,000 per annum (about £ as of ) in the interim.
Rowland Mason Ordish
was appointed to design the new bridge. Ordish was a leading architectural engineer who had worked on the Royal Albert Hall
, St Pancras railway station
, the Crystal Palace
and Holborn Viaduct
. The bridge was built using the Ordish–Lefeuvre Principle
, an early form of cable-stayed bridge
design which Ordish had patented in 1858. Ordish's design resembled a conventional suspension bridge
in employing a parabolic
cable to support the centre of the bridge, but differed in its use of 32 inclined stays
to support the remainder of the load. Each stay consisted of a flat wrought iron
bar attached to the bridge deck, and a wire rope
composed of 1,000 1/10 in diameter wires joining the wrought iron bar to one of the four octagonal support columns.
, since the bridge's design could not be finalised until the exact layout of the new roads being built on the north bank of the river had been agreed.While plans for the Chelsea Embankment were debated, Ordish built the Franz Joseph Bridge over the Vltava
in Prague
to the same design as that intended for the Albert Bridge.Damaged during the Second World War, the Franz Joseph Bridge was replaced by a more conventional bridge in the 1950s. Albert Bridge and the Franz Joseph Bridge were the only significant bridges built using the Ordish–Lefeuvre Principle; a third smaller Ordish–Lefeuvre Principle bridge was also built in Singapore
.
In 1869, the time allowed by the 1864 Act to build the bridge expired. Delays caused by the Chelsea Embankment project meant that work on the bridge had not even begun, and a new Act of Parliament was required to extend the time limit.Construction finally got underway in 1870, and it was anticipated that the bridge would be completed in about a year, at a cost of £70,000 (about £ as of ). In the event the project ran for over three years, and the final bill came to £200,000 (about £ as of ). It was intended to open the bridge and the Chelsea Embankment in a joint ceremony in 1874, but the Albert Bridge Company was keen to start recouping the substantially higher than expected costs, and the bridge opened with no formal ceremony on 23 August 1873, almost ten years after its authorisation. As the law demanded, the Albert Bridge Company then bought Battersea Bridge.
Ordish's bridge was 41 feet (12.5 m) wide and 710 feet (216.4 m) long, with a 384 in 9 in (117.27 m) central span. The deck was supported by 32 rigid steel rods suspended from four octagonal cast iron
towers, with the towers resting on cast iron piers. The four piers were cast at Battersea
and floated down the river into position, at which time they were filled with concrete; at the time they were the largest castings ever made. Unlike most other suspension bridges of the time, the towers were positioned outside the bridge to avoid causing any obstruction to the roadway. At each entrance was a pair of tollbooths with a bar between them, to prevent people entering the bridge without paying.
The bridge acquired the nickname of "The Trembling Lady" because of its tendency to vibrate, particularly when used by troops from the nearby Chelsea Barracks
. Concerns about the risks of mechanical resonance
effects on suspension bridges, following the 1831 collapse of the Broughton Suspension Bridge
and the 1850 collapse of Angers Bridge
, led to notices being placed at the entrances warning troops to break step (i.e., not to march in rhythm) when crossing the bridge;The original sign at each end of the Albert Bridge read: "Officers in command of troops are requested to break step when passing over this bridge" although the barracks closed in 2008, the warning signs are still in place today.A similar resonance effect caused the temporary closure of the nearby Millennium Bridge
in 2000 shortly after its opening.
Albert Bridge was catastrophically unsuccessful financially. By the time the new bridge opened the Albert Bridge Company had been paying compensation to the Battersea Bridge Company for nine years, and on completion of the new bridge became liable for the costs of repairing the by then dilapidated and dangerous structure. The cost of subsidising Battersea Bridge drained funds intended for the building of wide approach roads, making the bridge difficult to reach. Located slightly further from central London than neighbouring Victoria (Chelsea) Bridge, demand for the new bridge was less than expected, and in the first nine months of its operation only £2,085 (about £ as of ) was taken in tolls.
In 1877 the Metropolis Toll Bridges Act was passed, which allowed the Metropolitan Board of Works
to buy all London bridges between Hammersmith
and Waterloo
bridges and free them from tolls. In 1879, Albert Bridge, which had cost £200,000 to build, was bought by the Board of Works along with Battersea Bridge for a combined price of £170,000 (about £ as of ). The tolls were removed from both bridges on 24 May 1879, but the octagonal tollbooths were left in place, and today are the only surviving bridge tollbooths in London.
conducted an inspection of the bridge and found that the iron rods were already showing serious signs of corrosion. Over the next three years the staying rods were augmented with steel chains, giving it an appearance more closely resembling a conventional suspension bridge, and a new timber deck was laid, at a total cost of £25,000 (about £ as of ). Despite these improvements, Bazalgette was still concerned about its structural integrity and a weight limit of five tons
was imposed on vehicles using the bridge.
With a roadway only 27 feet (8.2 m) wide and subject to weight restrictions from early on, Albert Bridge was ill-suited to the advent of motorised transport in the 20th century. In 1926 the Royal Commission on Cross-River Traffic recommended demolition and rebuilding of the bridge to carry four lanes of traffic, but the plan was not carried out because of a shortage of funds in the Great Depression
. It continued to deteriorate, and in 1935 the weight limit was reduced to two tons.
Because of its ongoing structural weaknesses, in 1957 the London County Council
proposed replacing Albert Bridge with a more conventional design. A protest campaign led by John Betjeman
resulted in the proposal being withdrawn, but there continued to be serious concerns about the integrity of the bridge. In 1964 an experimental tidal flow scheme was introduced, in which only northbound traffic was permitted to use the bridge in the mornings and only southbound traffic in the evenings. The bridge's condition continued to deteriorate however, and in 1970 the Greater London Council
(GLC) sought and obtained consent to carry out strengthening work. In April 1972 the bridge was closed for the work to be carried out.
The GLC's solution entailed adding two concrete piers in the middle of the river to support the central span and thus transform the bridge's central section into a beam bridge
. The bridge's main girder was also strengthened, and a lightweight replacement deck was laid. The modifications were intended to be a stopgap measure, to extend the bridge's life by five years while a replacement was being considered; in the GLC's estimation the work would last for a maximum of 30 years, but the bridge would need to be either closed or replaced well before then.
In early 1973, the Architectural Review
submitted a proposal to convert Albert Bridge into a landscaped public park and pedestrian footpath across the river. The proposal proved very popular with the area's residents, and a May 1973 campaign led by John Betjeman
, Sybil Thorndike
and Laurie Lee
raised a petition
of 2,000 signatures for the bridge to be permanently closed to traffic on its reopening. Although the GLC reopened the bridge to traffic in July 1973, it also announced its intention to proceed with the Architectural Review scheme once legal matters had been dealt with.A modified form of the Architectural Review design was used in 1999 for the Green Bridge, carrying Mile End Park
over Mile End Road in East London.
The Royal Automobile Club
campaigned vigorously against the pedestrianisation proposal. A publicity campaign fronted by actress Diana Dors
in favour of reopening the bridge was launched, whilst a lobbying group of local residents led by poet Robert Graves
campaigned in support of the GLC's plan. Graves's campaign collected over a thousand signatures in support, but was vigorously attacked by the British Road Federation, who derided the apparent evidence of public support for the scheme as "sending a lot of students around to council flats [where] most people will sign anything without knowing what it is all about". A public enquiry of 1974 recommended that the bridge remain open to avoid causing congestion on neighbouring bridges, and it remained open to traffic with the tidal flow and 2-ton weight limit in place.
In 1990, the tidal flow system was abandoned and Albert Bridge was converted back to two way traffic. A traffic island
was installed on the south end of the bridge to prevent larger vehicles from using it. In the early years of the 21st century the Chelsea area experienced a growth in the popularity of large four-wheel drive
cars (so-called Chelsea tractors), many of which were over the two-ton weight limit; it was estimated that of all vehicles using the bridge were over the weight limit. In July 2006 the 27 feet (8.2 m) wide roadway was narrowed to a single lane in each direction to reduce the load. Red and white plastic barriers have been erected along the roadway in an effort to protect the structure from damage caused by cars.
Between 1905 and 1981 Albert Bridge had been painted in a uniform green colour and in 1981 was repainted yellow, but in 1992 it underwent significant redecoration and rewiring. Partially as a result, it is now a major West London landmark. The bridge is painted in a scheme of pink, blue and green, intended to increase visibility in fog and murky light and hence reduce the risks of shipping colliding with the fragile structure during the day. At night, a network of 4,000 low-voltage tungsten-halogen bulbs illuminate the bridge. In 1993 the innovative use of long-life low-energy lighting was commended by Mary Archer, at the time Chairwoman of the National Energy Foundation
. Its distinctive and striking current appearance has led to its being used as a backdrop for numerous films set in the Chelsea area, such as Absolute Beginners
, Sliding Doors
and Maybe Baby.
Except for Tower Bridge
, built in 1894, Albert Bridge is the only Thames road bridge in central London never to have been replaced.Despite being intended as a temporary measure to be removed in 1978, the concrete central piers remain in place, and although in 1974 its lifespan was estimated at a maximum of 30 years, the bridge is still standing and still operational. Albert Bridge was given protection as a Grade II* listed structure in 1975, granting it protection against further significant alteration without consultation. Despite this, it continues to deteriorate. Although proposals have been drawn up by Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council
to repair and rescue it, as of March 2008 funds for the repairs were unavailable. As well as structural damage caused by traffic, the timbers underpinning the deck are being seriously rotted by the urine of dogs crossing it to and from nearby Battersea Park
.Because of the lack of large open spaces on the north side of the river in this area large numbers of dogs cross daily to be walked in Battersea Park. With multiple measures in place to reduce traffic flow and prolong the life of the bridge, as of 2009 it carries approximately 19,000 vehicles per day, the lowest usage of any Thames road bridge in London other than the little-used Southwark Bridge
.
The bridge was closed to motor vehicles on 15 February 2010 for refurbishment and to strengthen the bridge. It was originally expected to remain closed for approximately 18 months, but after the condition of the bridge was found to be worse than expected, it will be re-opened on December 2nd 2011 after nearly two years of work.
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
in West London
West (London sub region)
The West is a sub-region of the London Plan corresponding to the London Boroughs of Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon and Hounslow. The sub region was established in 2004 and was adjusted in 2008 to include Kensington and Chelsea. The west has a population of 1.6 million and...
, connecting Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
on the north bank to Battersea
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
on the south bank. Designed and built by Rowland Mason Ordish
Rowland Mason Ordish
Rowland Mason Ordish was an English engineer. He is most noted for his design of the Winter Garden, Dublin 1865 Albert Bridge, a crossing of the River Thames in London, completed in 1873, and for his detailed work on the single-span roof of London's St Pancras railway station.William Henry Le...
in 1873 as an Ordish–Lefeuvre Principle
Ordish–Lefeuvre Principle
The Ordish–Lefeuvre Principle is an early form of cable-stayed bridge design, patented by Rowland Mason Ordish and William Henry Le Feuvre in 1858....
modified cable-stayed bridge
Cable-stayed bridge
A cable-stayed bridge is a bridge that consists of one or more columns , with cables supporting the bridge deck....
, it proved to be structurally unsound, and so between 1884 and 1887 Sir Joseph Bazalgette
Joseph Bazalgette
Sir Joseph William Bazalgette, CB was an English civil engineer of the 19th century. As chief engineer of London's Metropolitan Board of Works his major achievement was the creation of a sewer network for central London which was instrumental in relieving the city from cholera epidemics, while...
incorporated some of the design elements of a suspension bridge
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
. The Greater London Council
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...
carried out further strengthening work in 1973 by adding two concrete piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
, which transformed the central span into a simple beam bridge
Beam bridge
Beam bridges are the most simple of structural forms being supported by an abutment at each end of the deck. No moments are transferred through the support hence their structural type is known as simply supported....
. As a result of these modifications the bridge today is an unusual hybrid of three different design styles.
Built as a toll bridge
Toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...
, it was commercially unsuccessful; six years after its opening it was taken into public ownership and the tolls were lifted. The tollbooths
Toll house
A tollhouse or toll house is a building with accommodation for a toll collector, beside a tollgate on a toll road or canal. Many tollhouses were built by turnpike trusts in England, Wales and Scotland during the 18th and early 19th centuries...
remained in place however, and are the only surviving examples of bridge tollbooths in London. Nicknamed "The Trembling Lady" because of its tendency to vibrate when large numbers of people walked over it, signs at the entrances warn troops from the nearby Chelsea Barracks
Chelsea Barracks
Chelsea Barracks was a British Army barracks located in the City of Westminster, London, adjacent to Chelsea, on Chelsea Bridge Road.-History:The barracks was originally built in the 1860s to house two battalions of troops...
to break step while crossing the bridge.
Incorporating a roadway only 27 feet (8.2 m) wide, and with serious structural weaknesses, the bridge was ill-equipped to cope with the advent of the motor vehicle during the 20th century. Despite the many calls for its demolition or pedestrianisation Albert Bridge has remained open to vehicles throughout its existence, other than for brief spells during repairs, and is one of only two Thames road bridges in central London never to have been replaced. The strengthening work carried out by Bazalgette and the Greater London Council was unable to prevent further deterioration of the bridge's structure. A series of increasingly strict traffic control measures have been introduced to limit its use and thus prolong its life, making it the least busy Thames road bridge in London except for the little-used Southwark Bridge
Southwark Bridge
Southwark Bridge is an arch bridge for traffic linking Southwark and the City across the River Thames, in London, England. It was designed by Ernest George and Basil Mott. It was built by Sir William Arrol & Co. and opened in 1921...
. The bridge's condition is continuing to degrade however, as the result of traffic load and severe rotting of the timber deck
Deck (bridge)
A bridge deck or road bed is the roadway, or the pedestrian walkway, surface of a bridge. It is not to be confused with any deck of a ship.The deck may be of concrete,wood which in turn may be covered with asphalt concrete or other pavement...
structure caused by the urine of the many dogs using it as a route to nearby Battersea Park
Battersea Park
Battersea Park is a 200 acre green space at Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth in England. It is situated on the south bank of the River Thames opposite Chelsea, and was opened in 1858....
.
In 1992 Albert Bridge was rewired and painted in an unusual colour scheme designed to make it more conspicuous in poor visibility, and hence avoid being damaged by collisions with shipping. At night it is illuminated by 4,000 bulbs, making it one of West London's most striking landmarks.
Background
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
on the north bank of the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
about 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
, and the rich farming village of Battersea
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
facing Chelsea on the south bank, were linked by the modest wooden Battersea Bridge
Battersea Bridge
Battersea Bridge is a cast-iron and granite five-span cantilever bridge crossing the River Thames in London, England. It is situated on a sharp bend in the river, and links Battersea south of the river with Chelsea to the north...
in 1771. In 1842 the Commission of Woods, Forests, and Land Revenues recommended the construction of an embankment
Thames Embankment
The Thames Embankment is a major feat of 19th century civil engineering designed to reclaim marshy land next to the River Thames in central London. It consists of the Victoria and Chelsea Embankment....
at Chelsea to free new land for development, and proposed a new bridge downstream of Battersea Bridge, and the replacement of the latter by a more modern structure. Work on the Chelsea Embankment
Chelsea Embankment
Chelsea Embankment is part of the Thames Embankment, a road and walkway along the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England.The western end of Chelsea Embankment, including a stretch of Cheyne Walk, is in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea; the eastern end, including...
began in 1862, and work on the Victoria Bridge
Chelsea Bridge
Chelsea Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames in west London, connecting Chelsea on the north bank to Battersea on the south bank. There have been two Chelsea Bridges, on the site of what was an ancient ford....
(later renamed Chelsea Bridge), a short distance downstream of Battersea Bridge, began in 1851 and was completed in 1858. Meanwhile, the proposal to demolish Battersea Bridge was abandoned.
Although Chelsea and Battersea were then linked by two bridges, the wooden Battersea Bridge had become dilapidated by the mid-19th century. It had grown unpopular and was considered unsafe. The newer Victoria Bridge, meanwhile, suffered severe congestion. In 1860, Prince Albert suggested that a new tollbridge built between the two existing bridges would be profitable, and in the early 1860s the Albert Bridge Company was formed with the aim of building this new crossing. An 1863 proposal was blocked by strong opposition from the operators of Battersea Bridge, which was less than 500 yards (457.2 m) from the proposed site of the new bridge and whose owners were consequently concerned over potential loss of custom. A compromise was reached, and in 1864 a new Act of Parliament was passed, authorising the new bridge on condition that it was completed within five years. The Act compelled the Albert Bridge Company to purchase Battersea Bridge once the new bridge opened, and to compensate its owners by paying them £3,000 per annum (about £ as of ) in the interim.
Rowland Mason Ordish
Rowland Mason Ordish was an English engineer. He is most noted for his design of the Winter Garden, Dublin 1865 Albert Bridge, a crossing of the River Thames in London, completed in 1873, and for his detailed work on the single-span roof of London's St Pancras railway station.William Henry Le...
was appointed to design the new bridge. Ordish was a leading architectural engineer who had worked on the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
, St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the...
, the Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in...
and Holborn Viaduct
Holborn Viaduct
Holborn Viaduct is a bridge in London and the name of the street which crosses it . It links Holborn, via Holborn Circus, with Newgate Street in the City of London, passing over Farringdon Street and the now subterranean River Fleet.It was built between 1863 and 1869, at a cost of over two million...
. The bridge was built using the Ordish–Lefeuvre Principle
Ordish–Lefeuvre Principle
The Ordish–Lefeuvre Principle is an early form of cable-stayed bridge design, patented by Rowland Mason Ordish and William Henry Le Feuvre in 1858....
, an early form of cable-stayed bridge
Cable-stayed bridge
A cable-stayed bridge is a bridge that consists of one or more columns , with cables supporting the bridge deck....
design which Ordish had patented in 1858. Ordish's design resembled a conventional suspension bridge
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
in employing a parabolic
Parabola
In mathematics, the parabola is a conic section, the intersection of a right circular conical surface and a plane parallel to a generating straight line of that surface...
cable to support the centre of the bridge, but differed in its use of 32 inclined stays
Guy-wire
A guy-wire or guy-rope, also known as simply a guy, is a tensioned cable designed to add stability to structures . One end of the cable is attached to the structure, and the other is anchored to the ground at a distance from the structure's base...
to support the remainder of the load. Each stay consisted of a flat wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
bar attached to the bridge deck, and a wire rope
Wire rope
thumb|Steel wire rope Wire rope is a type of rope which consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a helix. Initially wrought iron wires were used, but today steel is the main material used for wire ropes....
composed of 1,000 1/10 in diameter wires joining the wrought iron bar to one of the four octagonal support columns.
Design and construction
Although authorised in 1864, work on the bridge was delayed by negotiations over the proposed Chelsea EmbankmentChelsea Embankment
Chelsea Embankment is part of the Thames Embankment, a road and walkway along the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England.The western end of Chelsea Embankment, including a stretch of Cheyne Walk, is in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea; the eastern end, including...
, since the bridge's design could not be finalised until the exact layout of the new roads being built on the north bank of the river had been agreed.While plans for the Chelsea Embankment were debated, Ordish built the Franz Joseph Bridge over the Vltava
Vltava
The Vltava is the longest river in the Czech Republic, running north from its source in Šumava through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice, and Prague, merging with the Elbe at Mělník...
in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
to the same design as that intended for the Albert Bridge.Damaged during the Second World War, the Franz Joseph Bridge was replaced by a more conventional bridge in the 1950s. Albert Bridge and the Franz Joseph Bridge were the only significant bridges built using the Ordish–Lefeuvre Principle; a third smaller Ordish–Lefeuvre Principle bridge was also built in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
Ordish's bridge was 41 feet (12.5 m) wide and 710 feet (216.4 m) long, with a 384 in 9 in (117.27 m) central span. The deck was supported by 32 rigid steel rods suspended from four octagonal cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
towers, with the towers resting on cast iron piers. The four piers were cast at Battersea
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
and floated down the river into position, at which time they were filled with concrete; at the time they were the largest castings ever made. Unlike most other suspension bridges of the time, the towers were positioned outside the bridge to avoid causing any obstruction to the roadway. At each entrance was a pair of tollbooths with a bar between them, to prevent people entering the bridge without paying.
Chelsea Barracks
Chelsea Barracks was a British Army barracks located in the City of Westminster, London, adjacent to Chelsea, on Chelsea Bridge Road.-History:The barracks was originally built in the 1860s to house two battalions of troops...
. Concerns about the risks of mechanical resonance
Mechanical resonance
Mechanical resonance is the tendency of a mechanical system to absorb more energy when the frequency of its oscillations matches the system's natural frequency of vibration than it does at other frequencies...
effects on suspension bridges, following the 1831 collapse of the Broughton Suspension Bridge
Broughton Suspension Bridge
Broughton Suspension Bridge was a suspended-deck suspension bridge built in 1826 to span the River Irwell between Broughton and Pendleton, now in Greater Manchester, England. It was one of the first suspension bridges constructed in Europe. On 12 April 1831 the bridge collapsed, reportedly owing...
and the 1850 collapse of Angers Bridge
Angers Bridge
Angers Bridge, also called the Basse-Chaîne Bridge, was a suspension bridge over the Maine River in Angers, France. It was designed by Joseph Chaley and Bordillon, and built between 1836 and 1839...
, led to notices being placed at the entrances warning troops to break step (i.e., not to march in rhythm) when crossing the bridge;The original sign at each end of the Albert Bridge read: "Officers in command of troops are requested to break step when passing over this bridge" although the barracks closed in 2008, the warning signs are still in place today.A similar resonance effect caused the temporary closure of the nearby Millennium Bridge
Millennium Bridge (London)
The Millennium Bridge, officially known as the London Millennium Footbridge, is a steel suspension bridge for pedestrians crossing the River Thames in London, England, linking Bankside with the City. It is located between Southwark Bridge and Blackfriars Railway Bridge...
in 2000 shortly after its opening.
Transfer to public ownership
In 1877 the Metropolis Toll Bridges Act was passed, which allowed the Metropolitan Board of Works
Metropolitan Board of Works
The Metropolitan Board of Works was the principal instrument of London-wide government from 1855 until the establishment of the London County Council in 1889. Its principal responsibility was to provide infrastructure to cope with London's rapid growth, which it successfully accomplished. The MBW...
to buy all London bridges between Hammersmith
Hammersmith Bridge
Hammersmith Bridge is a crossing of the River Thames in west London, just south of the Hammersmith town centre area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham on the north side of the river. It allows road traffic and pedestrians to cross to Barnes on the south side of the river...
and Waterloo
Waterloo Bridge
Waterloo Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge crossing the River Thames in London, England between Blackfriars Bridge and Hungerford Bridge. The name of the bridge is in memory of the British victory at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815...
bridges and free them from tolls. In 1879, Albert Bridge, which had cost £200,000 to build, was bought by the Board of Works along with Battersea Bridge for a combined price of £170,000 (about £ as of ). The tolls were removed from both bridges on 24 May 1879, but the octagonal tollbooths were left in place, and today are the only surviving bridge tollbooths in London.
Structural weaknesses
In 1884 the Board of Works' Chief Engineer Sir Joseph BazalgetteJoseph Bazalgette
Sir Joseph William Bazalgette, CB was an English civil engineer of the 19th century. As chief engineer of London's Metropolitan Board of Works his major achievement was the creation of a sewer network for central London which was instrumental in relieving the city from cholera epidemics, while...
conducted an inspection of the bridge and found that the iron rods were already showing serious signs of corrosion. Over the next three years the staying rods were augmented with steel chains, giving it an appearance more closely resembling a conventional suspension bridge, and a new timber deck was laid, at a total cost of £25,000 (about £ as of ). Despite these improvements, Bazalgette was still concerned about its structural integrity and a weight limit of five tons
Long ton
Long ton is the name for the unit called the "ton" in the avoirdupois or Imperial system of measurements, as used in the United Kingdom and several other Commonwealth countries. It has been mostly replaced by the tonne, and in the United States by the short ton...
was imposed on vehicles using the bridge.
With a roadway only 27 feet (8.2 m) wide and subject to weight restrictions from early on, Albert Bridge was ill-suited to the advent of motorised transport in the 20th century. In 1926 the Royal Commission on Cross-River Traffic recommended demolition and rebuilding of the bridge to carry four lanes of traffic, but the plan was not carried out because of a shortage of funds in the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. It continued to deteriorate, and in 1935 the weight limit was reduced to two tons.
Because of its ongoing structural weaknesses, in 1957 the London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
proposed replacing Albert Bridge with a more conventional design. A protest campaign led by John Betjeman
John Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
resulted in the proposal being withdrawn, but there continued to be serious concerns about the integrity of the bridge. In 1964 an experimental tidal flow scheme was introduced, in which only northbound traffic was permitted to use the bridge in the mornings and only southbound traffic in the evenings. The bridge's condition continued to deteriorate however, and in 1970 the Greater London Council
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...
(GLC) sought and obtained consent to carry out strengthening work. In April 1972 the bridge was closed for the work to be carried out.
Pedestrianised park proposal
Beam bridge
Beam bridges are the most simple of structural forms being supported by an abutment at each end of the deck. No moments are transferred through the support hence their structural type is known as simply supported....
. The bridge's main girder was also strengthened, and a lightweight replacement deck was laid. The modifications were intended to be a stopgap measure, to extend the bridge's life by five years while a replacement was being considered; in the GLC's estimation the work would last for a maximum of 30 years, but the bridge would need to be either closed or replaced well before then.
In early 1973, the Architectural Review
Architectural Review
The Architectural Review is a monthly international architectural magazine published in London since 1896. Articles cover the built environment which includes landscape, building design, interior design and urbanism as well as theory of these subjects....
submitted a proposal to convert Albert Bridge into a landscaped public park and pedestrian footpath across the river. The proposal proved very popular with the area's residents, and a May 1973 campaign led by John Betjeman
John Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
, Sybil Thorndike
Sybil Thorndike
Dame Agnes Sybil Thorndike CH DBE was a British actress.-Early life:She was born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire to Arthur Thorndike and Agnes Macdonald. Her father was a Canon of Rochester Cathedral...
and Laurie Lee
Laurie Lee
Laurence Edward Alan "Laurie" Lee, MBE was an English poet, novelist, and screenwriter, raised in the village of Slad, and went to Marling School, Gloucestershire. His most famous work was an autobiographical trilogy which consisted of Cider with Rosie , As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning and...
raised a petition
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
of 2,000 signatures for the bridge to be permanently closed to traffic on its reopening. Although the GLC reopened the bridge to traffic in July 1973, it also announced its intention to proceed with the Architectural Review scheme once legal matters had been dealt with.A modified form of the Architectural Review design was used in 1999 for the Green Bridge, carrying Mile End Park
Mile End Park
Mile End Park is a park located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a linear park of some , and was created on industrial land devastated by World War II bombing...
over Mile End Road in East London.
The Royal Automobile Club
Royal Automobile Club
The Royal Automobile Club is a private club and is not to be confused with RAC plc, a motorists' organisation, which it formerly owned.It has two club houses, one in London at 89-91 Pall Mall, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, Surrey, next to the City of London Freemen's School...
campaigned vigorously against the pedestrianisation proposal. A publicity campaign fronted by actress Diana Dors
Diana Dors
Diana Dors was an English actress, born Diana Mary Fluck in Swindon, Wiltshire. Considered the English equivalent of the blonde bombshells of Hollywood, Dors described herself as: "The only sex symbol Britain has produced since Lady Godiva."-Early life:Diana Mary Fluck was born in Swindon,...
in favour of reopening the bridge was launched, whilst a lobbying group of local residents led by poet Robert Graves
Robert Graves
Robert von Ranke Graves 24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985 was an English poet, translator and novelist. During his long life he produced more than 140 works...
campaigned in support of the GLC's plan. Graves's campaign collected over a thousand signatures in support, but was vigorously attacked by the British Road Federation, who derided the apparent evidence of public support for the scheme as "sending a lot of students around to council flats [where] most people will sign anything without knowing what it is all about". A public enquiry of 1974 recommended that the bridge remain open to avoid causing congestion on neighbouring bridges, and it remained open to traffic with the tidal flow and 2-ton weight limit in place.
Present day
Traffic island
A traffic island is a solid or painted object in a road that channelises traffic. It can also be a narrow strip of island between roads that intersect at an acute angle. If the island uses road markings only, without raised kerbs or other physical obstructions, it is called a painted island...
was installed on the south end of the bridge to prevent larger vehicles from using it. In the early years of the 21st century the Chelsea area experienced a growth in the popularity of large four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
cars (so-called Chelsea tractors), many of which were over the two-ton weight limit; it was estimated that of all vehicles using the bridge were over the weight limit. In July 2006 the 27 feet (8.2 m) wide roadway was narrowed to a single lane in each direction to reduce the load. Red and white plastic barriers have been erected along the roadway in an effort to protect the structure from damage caused by cars.
Between 1905 and 1981 Albert Bridge had been painted in a uniform green colour and in 1981 was repainted yellow, but in 1992 it underwent significant redecoration and rewiring. Partially as a result, it is now a major West London landmark. The bridge is painted in a scheme of pink, blue and green, intended to increase visibility in fog and murky light and hence reduce the risks of shipping colliding with the fragile structure during the day. At night, a network of 4,000 low-voltage tungsten-halogen bulbs illuminate the bridge. In 1993 the innovative use of long-life low-energy lighting was commended by Mary Archer, at the time Chairwoman of the National Energy Foundation
National Energy Foundation
The National Energy Foundation is an independent British charity, established to encourage the more sustainable use and generation of energy.- Aims :...
. Its distinctive and striking current appearance has led to its being used as a backdrop for numerous films set in the Chelsea area, such as Absolute Beginners
Absolute Beginners (film)
Absolute Beginners is a 1986 British rock musical film adapted from the Colin MacInnes book of the same name about life in late 1950s London. The film was directed by Julien Temple, featured David Bowie and Sade, and a breakout role by Patsy Kensit...
, Sliding Doors
Sliding Doors
Sliding Doors is a 1998 British-American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Howitt and starring Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah, and featured John Lynch, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Virginia McKenna. The music was composed by David Hirschfelder...
and Maybe Baby.
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name...
, built in 1894, Albert Bridge is the only Thames road bridge in central London never to have been replaced.Despite being intended as a temporary measure to be removed in 1978, the concrete central piers remain in place, and although in 1974 its lifespan was estimated at a maximum of 30 years, the bridge is still standing and still operational. Albert Bridge was given protection as a Grade II* listed structure in 1975, granting it protection against further significant alteration without consultation. Despite this, it continues to deteriorate. Although proposals have been drawn up by Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council
Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council
Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council is the local authority for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. Kensington and Chelsea is divided into 18 wards, each electing three...
to repair and rescue it, as of March 2008 funds for the repairs were unavailable. As well as structural damage caused by traffic, the timbers underpinning the deck are being seriously rotted by the urine of dogs crossing it to and from nearby Battersea Park
Battersea Park
Battersea Park is a 200 acre green space at Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth in England. It is situated on the south bank of the River Thames opposite Chelsea, and was opened in 1858....
.Because of the lack of large open spaces on the north side of the river in this area large numbers of dogs cross daily to be walked in Battersea Park. With multiple measures in place to reduce traffic flow and prolong the life of the bridge, as of 2009 it carries approximately 19,000 vehicles per day, the lowest usage of any Thames road bridge in London other than the little-used Southwark Bridge
Southwark Bridge
Southwark Bridge is an arch bridge for traffic linking Southwark and the City across the River Thames, in London, England. It was designed by Ernest George and Basil Mott. It was built by Sir William Arrol & Co. and opened in 1921...
.
The bridge was closed to motor vehicles on 15 February 2010 for refurbishment and to strengthen the bridge. It was originally expected to remain closed for approximately 18 months, but after the condition of the bridge was found to be worse than expected, it will be re-opened on December 2nd 2011 after nearly two years of work.