In pictures: London bridges from boring to beautiful

Wandsworth bridge with colourful LED lights bathing it in green and purple light. It is night time and there are tall residential buildings in the background. Image source, London Borough of Wandsworth
Image caption,

Is Wandsworth no longer London's most boring bridge?

  • Published

Wandsworth Bridge is no longer "London's most boring bridge", according to the local council.

It has just undergone a transformation, or a "major glow up", as the local authority in south London has called it, with the installation of new exterior lighting.

Completed in 1939, during World War Two, the bridge was painted a dull blue/grey colour to camouflage it against potential air raids and remained a light blue to this day.

Wandsworth is one of more than 30 bridges that cross the Thames between the City of London and the Surrey border, carrying people, vehicles, cyclists and trains in various combinations.

The first was London Bridge, the only crossing over the river in the capital from medieval times until Westminster Bridge was completed in 1750.

London Bridge has been rebuilt several times; the current concrete structure dates from 1973.

The Millennium Bridge, which is for pedestrians only and opened in 2000, was the first completely new bridge over the Thames to be built in more than 60 years.

Most of the city's bridges have been rebuilt, moved or modified over the centuries.

For some people, central London has the finest Thames crossings, while for others the bucolic bridges of the south-west London suburbs are unbeatable.

As many Londoners head out to enjoy the city over the Easter weekend, here are 20 of the best-known bridges, in alphabetical order.

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 20, A brightly lit bridge with pillars and cable stays. It is dusk and a person is visible at the bottom of the photo., Albert Bridge, opened in 1873, still has signs at its entrances that warn troops to break step while crossing

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, external, X, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk, external