Lot Essay
Despite numerous calamities, the old London Bridge made famous by the mid-seventeenth century nursery rhyme lasted for over six hundred years. One of the most picturesque sights of the city, its silhouette was radically altered in 1758-67 when not only where the two central arches replaced by a single navigation span but, more dramatically, the quaint houses which had stood upon it for centuries were finally demolished as unsafe. After a further fifty years had elapsed, the decision was taken to build a modern bridge and Sir John Rennie began its construction in 1823 just upstream of its ancient predecessor. The new one was completed and opened in August 1831 at which point the former landmark was demolished.