What Are The Odd Red Pillars By Blackfriars Bridge?

If you have ever walked over Blackfriars Bridge you may well have spotted these odd red pillars in the river. They are all that remains of a lost bridge. Read on for the story behind it, Blackfriars Bridge in general and some of the other details you can spot. 

A Monastery, A ‘Lost’ River And A Medieval Palace

Up until 1750, the only physical crossing over the Thames in central London was London Bridge. The first was most likely built by the Romans, at the first fordable crossing point of the Thames and then went through various iterations over the centuries. 

The second bridge London managed to get was Westminster Bridge in 1750. The third: Blackfriars, opening in 1769. 

Prior to this, where Blackfriars is today was the point that the River Fleet, now one of London’s ‘lost rivers’ met the Thames. On the Eastern side of the Fleet, until the Reformation, was the Blackfriars monastery, giving the area its name. They were a monastery of the Dominican Order and their name came from the black habits they wore.

To the West was Bridewell Palace, a royal palace under King Henry VIII. It later became a hospital and then prison under Edward VI in the later 16th century. As ever, there are lots of clues in the street names: Bridewell Place, Tudor Street, Watergate, where the old watergate for the palace was located. 

The mouth of the Fleet was turned into a canal in the late 17th century and then covered and subsumed into the storm drain system in the 1760s when the first Blackfriars Bridge was constructed. In fact, there is still storm drain outlet underneath the modern Blackfriars Bridge, where the Fleet will enter the Thames once again, after heavy rainfall. 

The First Bridge

The first Blackfriars bridge was of an Italianate style, made of Portland stone and designed by Robert Mylne.

It was originally called William Pitt Bridge, after the Prime Minister William Pitt the Elder, but ‘Blackfriars Bridge’ was generally always used by Londoners. It was also originally a toll bridge, up until 1785. In 1780, during the Gordon Riots, the toll booths were destroyed and looted.

In the 1830s, the bridge was extensively repaired and by 1860 it was decided to dismantle and rebuild it, at the same time that the Victoria embankment was constructed.

The Second Bridge 

The second bridge was designed by Joseph Cubitt and funded, like the first, by Bridge House Estates, now known as the City Bridge Foundation. 

Bridge House Estates was set up in 1282 to maintain London Bridge. Through tolls and rents, Bridge House Estates amassed a large pot of money over the centuries and used these funds to build or acquire more bridges, such as Blackfriars Bridge, Tower Bridge and Southwark Bridge. You can see their symbol, the ‘Bridge Mark’ on the plaque here.

Blackfriars Bridge was opened by Queen Victoria on 6th November 1869. She then travelled up Farringdon Road to open the Holborn Viaduct that same day.

It had been eight years since the death of Prince Albert and Victoria had receded from public life. This was therefore seen, by the Prime Minister William Gladstone, as a good opportunity for her to be seen by the public. She tried to pull out a number of times for fear of being booed, but ended up being surprised by the positive public reaction.

At the Northern end of the bridge is a statue of Queen Victoria, erected in 1896 by Charles Bell Birch.

Design Details

The bridge has five elliptical wrought-iron arches (the first to use this design) and has a series of granite piers, topped by seating areas. The seating areas are designed to look like church pulpits as a nod to the Blackfriars monastery. 

A nice detail to spot is the carvings on the underside of the ‘pulpits’. They mostly depict birds. On the pulpits facing downstream are seabirds and the upstream carvings are of freshwater birds, such as herons. 

The ‘Ghost’ Bridge 

At the same time that the second pedestrian bridge was constructed, Joseph Cubitt also designed a railway bridge to go alongside it. 

It was built to accommodate the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) when it was extended North across the river to Ludgate Hill Station (Ludgate Hill Station closed in 1929 and was mostly demolished in the 1960s). 

The railway was supported on three sets of abutments. I will explain in a moment, why you can now only see sets of two.

There was also originally a station on the South side of the river called Blackfriars Station, built by the company. It was demolished in 1964, but can still see the old ramp used as a goods entrance. 

In 1886, a second railway bridge was built alongside the first, slightly downstream to another newly built station immediately on the North bank, originally called St Paul’s Station, now Blackfriars Station. 

In the 1980s, when the Thameslink route was established, the first railway bridge was deemed too weak for modern trains and was removed. The abutments however were left in the river. In 2012 one of the three abutments was incorporated into newer Blackfriars Railway Station, when it was widened. 

As well as the abutments you can see the old decorative London, Chatham, and Dover Railway sign. 

A Couple Of Final Details

Another detail to spot is the Temperance Drinking Fountain at the Northern end of the bridge, depicting a Samaritan woman pouring water.

It was erected by The Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association in 1861, an association set up to provide free drinking water. The fountain was originally outside the Royal Exchange, but was moved here in 1920 to make way for the World War One Troops memorial.

Finally, make sure to clock the dragon sculpture at the Southern end. This informs you that you are entering/leaving the jurisdiction of the City of London authorities. I have written about the dragons before here.

The fantastic Blackfriars pub is naturally always a good stop off when exploring this area. It is one of my top ten historic pubs in London.

Thank you for reading, more London history below!