Old London Bridge
This is an excerpt from the paper...
When people in the United States today hear the term "London Bridge," they are most likely to think of one of the most peculiar sights anywhere within the United States that of the London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Surrounded by faked-up Tudor buildings and busloads of tourists, the large bridge is dwarfed by the majesty of the desert Southwest. The entire enterprise stands as a monument to a deep human appreciation for irony, for what else could explain the immense cost and energy that went into transporting such an immense structure such a long way for so very little purpose. But this peculiar structure in the desert is in fact not the real London Bridge at all (if any bridge can in fact lay claim to that title, which seems unlikely), but the New London Bridge, designed in 1831 by the Scottish engineer John Rennie a bridge that became quickly antiquated when the car forever changed traffic patterns in England's capital city, prompting the construction of the bridge that is still used. Old London Bridge is not enshrined in the Arizona desert, nor anywhere else in the world. In 1832, the historic stones that had been the bridge for more than six centuries were torn apart and scattered throughout the island, to end up in garden walkways and rural walls. It was in part because Old London Bridge was so thoroughly destroyed that the New London Bridge was saved and moved (Elmer, 1973, p. 2). It does seem a poor sort of thanks to give to a structure that was
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stablishing himself in England in 1066, began construction of the Tower of London as a fearsome place to overawe the unrepentant populace. A great deal of civic construction followed the building of the Tower.
The process of building stone edifices was popular among the many Normans who moved to London after the conquest, no doubt in some large measure because they wanted structures that could be easily defended if the native population became restive. But beyond this desire for defensible constructions, the Normans may have built in stone because they were traditionally good masons and stone was a material that they felt comfortable working with. (Today the province of Normandy is replete with ancient stone buildings that are still both beautiful and sound.)
The continuing influence of Norman architectural ideas as well as the presence of the descendants of Norman masons may have influenced the leaders of the city when in 1176 they tore down the existing wooden bridge rebuilt it with stone.
The switch toward masonry buildings had also been helped along by the London fire of 1087, which destroyed much of the city. Many of those who could afford to do rebuilt in stone or tile to avoid such a disastrous recurrence, but many
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2087
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)
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