ANTIQU 
fieged London, caufed a channel 'to 
be formed on the fouth fide, of the 
‘Thames,about Rotherhithe, for con- 
veying his fhips above the bridge. 
If any credit is to be given tothe 
traditionary account of the origin 
of the ancient woeden bridge, given 
by Bartholomew Linftead, the laft 
prior of Saint Mary Overy’s, con- 
vent, London is indebted for this 
ftruéture to that religious houfe. 
Stow feems to be of this opinion; 
but the perfons who continued his 
work allow no other merit to the 
monks of this convent than that 
they gave their confent to the erec- 
tion of the bridge, on receiving a 
fufficient.recompence for the lofs of 
the ferty, by which they had, been 
fupported ; and that this conjecture 
is not without foundation, appears 
from the appropriation of lands for 
the fupport of London-bridge, at fo 
early a period as the reign of Hen- 
ry I.. Inthe year 1136, it was con- 
fumed by fire; and in 1163, it was 
in fuch a ruinous ftate as to be re- 
built, under the infpection of Peter, 
curate of St. Mary Colechurch, in 
London, who was celebrated for 
his knowledge in the fcience of ar- 
chiteéture.. At length, the con- 
finued and heavy expence which 
was neceflary to maintain and fup- 
port a wooden bridge becoming 
burthenfome to the people, who, 
when the lands appropriated for its 
maintenance proved inadequate to 
their objet, were taxed to. fupply 
the deficiencies, it was refolved in 
the year 1176 to build one of ftone, 
a litile to the weft of the other; and 
this ftructure was completed in the 
year 1209. The fame architect was 
‘employed, who died four years be- 
fore it was finifhed, and was buried 
in a beautiful chapel, probably of 
his own conftruction, dedicaled to 
: Dd2 
OT LES. 419 
St. Thomas,..which ftood on’ the, 
ninth pier from the north end, and 
had an entrance from the river, as 
well as the ftreet, by a winding 
ftaircafe.. In the middle of it was 
a tomb, fuppofed to contain the 
remains ofitsarchitect. Butthough 
fo much art and expence were em- 
ployed in building the bridge with 
ftone, it fuffered very much from a 
fire in the ftreets at each end of it; 
fo that from this accident, and other 
circumftances, it was in fuch a ruin- 
ous condition that King Edward I, 
granted a brief to the bridge-keeper, 
to afk and receive the benevolence 
of his fubjects through the kingdom 
towards repairing it. It would be 
equally irkfome and unneceffary to. 
enumerate all the cafualties which 
befel London-bridge till the cor- 
poration of London came to the 
refolution, in 1746, of taking down 
all the houfes, and enlarging one or 
more of its arches, to improve. the 
navigation beneath it: but it was 
ten years before this refolution was 
carried into effet. The fpace oc- 
cupied by the piers and fterlings of 
this bridge is confiderably greater 
than that allowed for the pailage of 
the water ;:fo that half the breadth 
of the river is in this place entirely 
fiopped. But inftead of making 
reparations, the whole ought to 
have been removed, as a very mag- 
nificent ftruéture might have been 
erected, at a much lefs expence than 
has been employed in maintaining 
the prefent nuifance to the river, 
and difgrace of the city. The laft 
alteration coft near 100,0001. and 
without any wife anfwering the prin- 
cipal object in yiew, which was to 
diminith its fall at the ebbing of 
the tide, and confequently to leffen . 
the danger of a paflage which has 
proved a watery grave to fo many 
people. 
