Blackfriars bridge
The
first fixed crossing at Blackfriars was a 995 feet (303 m) long toll bridge
designed in an Italianate style by Robert Mylne and constructed with nine
semi-elliptical arches of Portland stone, it was originally named "William
Pitt bridge" as a dedication, but its informal name relating to the
precinct within the City named after the Blackfriars priory, a Dominican house
which once stood nearby, was generally adopted
although
it was built of Portland stone the workmanship was very faulty and it was
decided to build a new bridge on the same site, the present bridge was opened by Queen
Victoria in 1869
the
bridge became internationally notorious in June 1982, when the body of Roberto
Calvi, a former chairman of Italy's largest private bank, was found hanging
from one of its arches with five bricks and around $14,000 in three different
currencies in his pockets
the
bridge is featured in the lyrics of the songs "Cold Bread" by Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJuOoD1ThhQ ) and "The Resurrectionist" by the Pet
Shop Boys (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFRvF9E_ZLc
) the bridge is mentioned in Harold Pinter's play “The Homecoming” when the character Max suggests that his brother,
Sam, would have sex for a few pennies here
in Terry Gilliam's “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”
Heath Ledger's character Tony is found hanging under the Blackfriars
Bridge, described by Terry Gilliam as "an homage to Roberto Calvi
No comments:
Post a Comment