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The Albert Bridge is a road bridge spanning the River Thames in London.
It connects Chelsea (on the north bank) to Battersea (on the south bank).
Originally built in 1873 by Rowland Mason Ordish, it was an Ordish–Lefeuvre system modified cable-stayed bridge. Later, Sir Joseph Bazalgette incorporated elements of a suspension bridge, resulting in a unique hybrid design.
Facts
Total length: 710 feet (220 m) Width: 41 feet (12 m) Height: 66 feet (20 m) Longest span: 384 feet 9 inches (117.27 m) before 1973, 185 feet (56 m) after 1973
Nickname: “The Trembling Lady” because it vibrates when people walk over it.
Notes:
Some text modified from Microsoft Copilot.
The photos were taken by Geoffrey W. Sutton [Website: suttong.com ]
Vauxhall Bridge is a Grade II listed steel and granite deck arch
bridge in central London. It spans the River Thames in a southeast–northwest
direction, connecting Vauxhall on the south bank with Pimlico on the north bank.
The bridge was opened in 1906, replacing an earlier bridge known as Regent
Bridge.
I noticed the art work on the piers. According to Wikipedia, the images I took in 2023 of the upstream sculptures were the works of Frederick Pomeroy: Agriculture, Architecture, Engineering, and Pottery.
Agriculture 2023 Geoffrey W. Sutton
Architecture 2023 Geoffrey W. Sutton
Engineering 2023 Geoffrey W. Sutton
Pottery 2023 Geoffrey W. Sutton
The original bridge, built between 1809 and 1816, was the first iron
bridge over the Thames. It operated as a toll bridge before becoming publicly
owned in 1879. The current bridge has remained largely unchanged since 1907.
The sculptures on the downstream piers were provided by Alfred Drury: Science, Fine Arts, Local Government, Education.
What's Nearby
Southside
MI6 Secret Intelligence Service on the downstream
Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens - public park
Vauxhall underground and train stations
Northside
Bessborough gardens
Riverside Walk Gardens
Pimlico underground
Notes
The text was edited based on Microsoft's Copilot response to the prompt "Describe Chelsea Bridge."
The photos were taken by Geoffrey W. Sutton [Website: suttong.com ]
Chelsea Bridge is a steel self-anchored suspension bridge
that spans the River Thames in west London. It connects Chelsea on the north
bank to Battersea on the south bank. Split between the City of Westminster, the
London Borough of Wandsworth, and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea,
this iconic bridge has an interesting history.
Historic Chelsea Bridge
The site of Chelsea Bridge was once an ancient ford.
The first Chelsea Bridge was proposed in the 1840s as part
of the development of marshlands into the new Battersea Park.
Initially called Victoria Bridge, it was a suspension bridge
intended to provide convenient access from the densely populated north bank to
the park.
The current Chelsea Bridge opened in 1937.
Video Clip of Chelsea Bridge
Some Facts
The new bridge was the first self-anchored suspension bridge
in Britain.
It was constructed entirely with materials sourced from
within the British Empire.
The bridge’s total length is 698 feet (213 meters), with a
longest span of 332 feet (101 meters).
It stands 69 feet 2 inches (21.08 meters) tall and has a
width of 64 feet (20 meters).
The clearance below the bridge is 42 feet 9 inches (13.03
meters) at the lowest astronomical tide.
Notes
The text was edited based on Microsoft's Copilot response to the prompt "Describe Chelsea Bridge."
The photos and videos were taken by Geoffrey W. Sutton [Website: suttong.com ]
Battersea Bridge crosses the River Thames in London England. I took the photo above in 2021. Battersea Bridge opened 21 July 1890.
The first Battersea Bridge was opened in 1771.
Battersea Bridge is located in Battersea, which is in the London Borough of Wandsworth--the area where my father and his family lived during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
I had take a bus to Battersea Park and walked along the Thames River, past Battersea Bridge to the famous Battersea Power Station--a modern shopping and restaurant area.
Le Pont des Arts is a bridge over the River Seine made famous by romantics who secured locks to the fencing representing their love-- "love locks."
According to a 2015 CNN story, the practice of placing locks on the fence may have started in 2006 as a result of a novel, which became a film. The weight of the locks caused damage as the number of locks reached some 700,000.
Tower Bridge is one of those London icons we often see in films and pictures of the city. It is a working drawbridge. Visitors can take a tour to see above the bridge and some of the inner workings of the bridge mechanisms.
Inside Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge traffic from above
Some activities for children in the corridor above Tower Bridge.
Below is a video clip from the day I toured the Tower Bridge museum in March, 2017.
Below is a video from the Shard taken on 3 November 2018.
Lastly, here is a view of Tower Bridge at night, 6 November 2018.
You might like this fun and informative guide to British words and
phrases.
We awoke to see the rain decorating our hotel window, but we headed to Venice (Italian, Venezia) as planned. Despite the grey skies, the boat ride to the city was awesome. The boat from the mainland parking area takes visitors to a dock a few bridges walk from the entry to St Mark's Square.
Approaching Venice by boat
Rain at hotel Poppi near Venice
We headed to a Murano glass factory, which was close to St Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco)--so many brilliant and expensive examples of their work. (Link- about Murano glass). Tip- there are no charge toilets in the factory showroom.
St Mark's Basilica was first built in the 800s then rebuilt in the 11th Century with facade work dating to the 12-15th centuries. It has been the cathedral of Venice since 1807. The Basilica was too big to capture in a photo so I took a short video clip. It's outer height is 141 feet. In 2019, there was no charge to enter the Basilica but the lines can be long. (Link to Basilica website)
On St Mark's Basilica, there's a lot of artistry to appreciate -- here's a few examples.
Restaurants and shops vie for tourists attention as they examine the other old buildings in St Mark's Square.
We headed through the arch beneath the clock on a quest to find the famed Rialto Bridge--it's the oldest of the four bridges over the Grand Canal in Venice. It was first built in the 1100s and rebuilt a few times since then. Tip- look up to see signs on buildings pointing the way to Rialto Bridge at one end of Venice and St Mark's at the other end.
At the Rialto Bridge
Here's a view of the canal and surrounds from the Rialto Bridge.
We were booked on a gondola ride for 11:00 a.m. We were fortunate the rain held off -- we were told the gondoliers do not work when it's raining. We shared a boat with four others so we got the photo at this top of this post from a fellow traveler. Here's a short video of the experience--you can hear the musician in the neighboring boat. Only one comfortable seat per gondola. I didn't shoot a lot of video so I could enjoy the experience.
I'll add a Venice collage below.
Notes
Restaurant service in Venice and elsewhere in Italy is slow so it depends how much time you want to spend having a relaxing lunch versus other experiences.
Toilets (WC symbol) can be found throughout the city and in restaurants. In the city you will need Euro coins for the WC.
Maps of Venice can be confusing because of the multiple narrow lanes. The two orienting points mentioned above are very helpful (Rialto Bridge, St Mark's Square).
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