London bridges across the river Thames: 14 Chelsea bridge

 

there have been two Chelsea bridges, on the site of what was an ancient ford

the first Chelsea bridge was proposed in the 1840s as part of a major development of marshlands on the south bank of the Thames into the new Battersea park - it was a suspension bridge intended to provide convenient access from the densely populated north bank to the new park. although built and operated by the government, tolls were charged initially in an effort to recoup the cost of the bridge. work on the nearby Chelsea Embankment delayed construction and so the bridge, initially called Victoria bridge, did not open until 1857. although well received architecturally, as a toll-bridge it was unpopular with the public, and Parliament felt obliged to make it toll-free on Sundays. the bridge was less of a commercial success than had been anticipated, partly because of competition from the newly built Albert Bridge nearby. it was acquired by the Metropolitan Board of Works in 1877, and the tolls were abolished in 1879.

the bridge was narrow and structurally unsound, leading the authorities to rename it Chelsea Bridge to avoid the Royal Family's association with a potential collapse. in 1926, with the bridge unable to handle increased volumes of users, caused by population growth in the surrounding area and the introduction of the automobile, it was proposed that the old bridge be rebuilt or replaced.

between 1934 and 1937 it was demolished and replaced by the current structure, which opened in 1937

 

the new bridge was the first self-anchored suspension bridge in Britain, and was built entirely with materials sourced from within the British empire. as with the earlier construction of nearby Battersea bridge, during excavations workers found large quantities of Roman and Celtic weapons and skeletons in the riverbed, leading many historians to conclude that the area was the site of Julius Caesar's crossing of the Thames during the 54 BC invasion of Britain, the most significant item found was the Celtic la Tène style bronze and enamel Battersea Shield, one of the most significant pieces of Celtic military equipment found in Britain, recovered from the riverbed during dredging for the piers – now in the British museum

during the early 1950s it became popular with motorcyclists, who staged regular races across the bridge - one such meeting in 1970 erupted into violence, around 50 people took part in the fight; weapons used included motorcycle chains, flick knives and at least one spiked flail, a member of one gang was shot with a sawn-off shotgun and fatally wounded, and 20 of those present were sentenced to between one and twelve years imprisonment