The New London Bridge Experience
River Thames and Tombs Join in England's Next Big Visitor Attraction
The London Bridge Experience, London's next visitor attraction, opens February 2008 in the vaults under London Bridge on the River Thames, close to the London Dungeon.
Visitors to London will soon be able to visit a brand new attraction, the London Bridge Experience, which opens in February 2008.
The London Bridge Experience describes itself as a mixture of a museum, entertainment and an educational historic tourist attraction. It cost £2 million to build, and is housed underneath London Bridge on the south bank of the River Thames.
The London Bridge Experience is a private enterprise that is owned by two London businessmen, Lee and Danny Scriven. The two brothers grew up less than a mile from London Bridge and their hope is to bring many more visitors to enjoy this part of London. Just down the road is the London Dungeon so for those who like the scary side of the city, there will be a double reason for coming to London Bridge.
The London Bridge Experience has been built in the vaults and tombs below London Bridge itself. These were the plague pits in 14th century London, and hundreds of bones and skeletons were unearthed in the foundations.
London Bridge History
Another aspect of the London Bridge Experience is to tell the history of the various London Bridges that have existed at this crossing point on the River Thames. There are reconstructions of the wooden, stone and medieval bridges that existed here, each of them peopled by characters from the time.
The first bridge goes back to Roman days and was built in about 53AD. In 1190 the first stone bridge was built here, and this one lasted around 600 years. The current London Bridge was only opened in 1973, and the previous bridge was sold to a Robert Paxton McCulloch for £4.6m and shipped to Lake Havasu in Arizona where it was rebuilt, brick by brick.
The London Bridge Experience tells the story of all these bridges, of William Wallace who was the first man to have his head displayed on the bridge, of the Great Fire of London, of the great freezes on the River Thames in the past, when fairs were held on the thick, frozen ice. One curious fact explained is that in 1722 when London Bridge was so busy that it became hard to collect the tolls that had to be paid to cross over the bridge, a new rule was introduced. People had to pass on the left, a rule which was then adopted throughout the country.
Another curiosity will be an explanation of how the song 'London Bridge is Falling Down' came about. But with the arrival of the London Bridge Experience, the bridge is far from falling down. It is a new chapter in the life of London Bridge, which will hopefully survive for another 2000 years.
Find out more about the London Bridge Experience on their website.
Read more about London Bridge and Tower Bridge.
Read the facts about three more of London's Bridges.
