Today it is a common commuters footbridge because of Blackfriars Station. At its opening in 1769, Blackfriars Bridge became the fourth bridge built for crossing the Thames in the London area.
Designed by Robert Mylne, this bridge lasted 100 years. During the construction of New London Bridge and the demolition of Old London Bridge in the 1820s and 30s, the river thames was full of materials that made the water a powerful force in Blackfriar Bridge’s decaying.
The bridge we have today was completed after five years of construction in 1869 and opened by Queen Victoria. This bridge, and the first Blackfriars Rail Bridge, were designed by Joseph Cubitt. The well-used railway bridge was removed in 1985, but its red pillars remain in the water, next to its partner railway bridge.
Although the red pillars are all that remains of the first Blackfriars Bridge, there is a mural with a sketch of the first bridge in the pedestrian walkway under the bridge on the Bankside end.
Both the first and second bridges saw some of London’s best brains and creativity at work. Mylne won the commission for the original bridge against more than fifty applicants. It was his first bridge, but it was a feat in civil engineering for its day. Soon after the construction of this bridge, he began to receive requests for commissions on other bridges and hydraulic works––he was named chief engineer of the New River system, supplying spring water to parts of London.
Joseph Cubitt, of the second bridge, was an accomplished engineer. Both he and his father, Sir William Cubitt, made up the majority of the mastermind behind England’s railway systems.
Blackfriars Bridge also has connections to the darker side of London’s history: one of London’s most notorious murder mysteries, the mafia murder of Roberto Calvi. In 1982 his body was found hanging from the bridge, with bricks and money stuffed in his pockets. Him and his killers were both involved in mafia deals, but the murder case has not yet been solved.
Besides its history, the bridge offers beautiful views down the Thames. You can stand on it and look off toward Millennium Bridge and St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Right at Blackfriars Station, the bridge connects the Temple area on the north side to Bankside near Tate Modern and not far from Southbank and all its entertainment.
