Medal

Brass medal commemorating the opening of the new London Bridge in 1831. One side has a view of the bridge with St Paul's Cathedral behind it, and the inscription: 'Carriageway 33 1/2 ft' above and 'Length of bridge 782 ft, Centre arch 150 ft, Side arch 140 ft.' The other side is inscribed: 'The first stone of the new London Bridge was laid by John Garratt Esqr Lord Mayor of London on the 14 March 1824 and opened by their Majesties August 1st 1831. There were several different medals struck to mark the opening, and some of the measurements and dates on this variant are different to the other medals. Compare, for example, A23421, where the bridge is 200 feet (61m) longer and the carriageway 2 1/2 feet (76cm) wider. The start date is also different.

The 'new' London Bridge replaced the 'Old' medieval bridge, which was, by the late 18th century, not able to cope with the large amount of traffic wanting to cross the river. It also impeded water traffic on the river. The new bridge was constructed upstream of the old one, which remained open during the building of the new bridge. The access roads constructed to serve the new bridge cost four times more than the bridge itself. The bridge was opened on 1 August 1831 by King William IV and Queen Adelaide.

By the late 19th century London Bridge was the busiest Thames crossing and it was widened by 13 ft (4 m) in an attempt to ease congestion. In the 20th century it was found that the bridge was sinking gradually, so plans were made to replace it. These came to fruition in 1973 when the present London Bridge was opened. The 1831 bridge was sold to Robert McCulloch, and American oil entrepreneur, who reconstructed it in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where it now spans the Bridgewater Channel.