400 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1797. 
people. This vaft work appears 
to have been founded on enormous 
piles, driven clofely together: on 
their tops were laid long planks, 
ten inches thick, ftrongly bolted; 
and on them was placed the bafe of 
the pier, the lowermoft ftones of 
which are bedded in pitch, to pre- 
vent the water from damaging the 
work; around the whole were the 
piles which are called the fterlings, 
defigned.to ftrengthen and preferve 
the foundation: 
tie fpace between the piers in fuch 
a manner, as to occafion, at the re- 
turn of every tide, a fall of five feet, 
é* a number of cataracts full of 
danger, and, as they have proved, 
of deftruction. This ftructure has 
been ftyled, by ancient writers, the 
wonder of the world, the bridge of 
the world, and the bridge of won- 
ders; and how well it deferved this 
pompous character will be feen from 
the defcription of its form and con- 
dition, previous to ‘that alteration 
to which it owes its prefent appear- 
ance. | 
_ The Thames, in this part of it, 
is 915 feet broad, which is the 
length of the bridge. The ftreet 
that covered it confifted, before 
the houfes fell to decay, of lofty 
‘edifices, built with fome attention 
to exterior regularity: it was 20 
feet wide, and the buildings on ei- 
ther fide about 26 feet in depth. 
Acrofs the middle of the {treet ran 
feveral lofty arches, extending from 
fide to fide, the bottom part of each 
arch terminating at the firft ftory, 
and the upper part reaching near 
the tops of the houfes; the work 
over the arches extending in a 
ttraight line from fide to fide. They 
were defigned to prevent the build- 
ings from giving way; and were 
herefore formed of {trong timbers, 
thefe contracted. 
bolted in the correfponding wood- 
work of the houfes that flanked 
them. Thus the ftreet on the 
bridge had nothing to diftinguifh it 
from any narrow {ftreet in the city 
but the high arches juft defcribed, 
and three openings, guarded with 
iron rails, which afforded a view of 
the river. But the appearance from 
the water baffles all defcription, and 
difplayed a ftrange example of curi- 
ous deformity. Nineteen unequi- 
lateral arches, of different heights 
and breadths, with fterlings increaf- 
ed to a monftrous fize by frequent 
repairs, ferved to fupport a range of 
houfes as irregular as themfelves ; 
the back part of which, broken by 
hanging clofets and irregular pro- 
jections, offered a very ‘ifguhing 
object; while many of the build- 
ings overhung the arches, fo as to 
hide the upper part of them, and 
feemed to lean in fuch a manner as 
to fill the beholder with equal 
amazement and horror. In one 
part of this extraordinary ftruéture, 
there had formerly been a draw- 
bridge, which was ufeful by way of 
defence, as well as to admit fhips to 
the upper part of the river, and it 
was guarded by a tower. It pres 
vented Fauconbridge, the baftard, 
from entering the city in 1471 with 
his armed followers, on the pretence 
of liberating the unfortunate Hen- 
ry from his imprifonment in the 
Yower. It alfo checked, and in- 
deed feemed to annihilate, the ill- 
conduéted infurrection of Sir Tho- 
mas Wiatt, in the reign of Queen 
Mary. In the times of civil dif- 
fention, which rendered this king- 
dom a continual fcene of turbulence 
and bloodifhed, this tower was em- 
ployed to expofe the heads of trai- 
tors: and an old map of the city, 
in 1597, reprefents this building as 
decorated 
Pert dies 
