CHAP. If. OLD LoXDoX IlIMDcK. 256 



nuar London Stone, ;ind Imrnt ;ill down raslward as far 

 as Aldgate, and IVoin thence to the south bank of the 

 river, including the bridge. It was again patched; but 

 it was found so costly to maintain the structure whilst of 

 wood, and it ran so much risk from fire and floods, that 

 it was eventually determined to build a bridge .of stone 

 upon nearly the same site ; and the work was accordingly 

 begun by one Peter, the chaplain of St. Mary's, Cole- 

 el nirch, in the Poultry, in the year 1176. 



One of the most important considerations in building 

 a bridge across a deep and rapid river is the security of 

 its foundations. Comparatively few of the older bridges 

 failed from the unskilful construction of their arches, 

 but many were undermined and carried away by floods 

 where the piers were insecure. The period at which 

 Old London Bridge was built is so remote, and the 

 records left of the mode of conducting the work are so 

 iiK-agiv, that it is impossible, even were it desirable, to 

 give any detailed account of the building. Some writers 

 have supposed that the whole course of the river was 

 diverted in the line of Canute's canal above referred to, 

 and that the bed of the Thames was thus laid dry to 

 enable the foundations of the piers to be got in. 1 This ex- 

 pedient has frequently been adopted in building bridges 

 across streams of moderate size ; but it is not probable 

 that it was employed in this case. When the founda- 

 tions of the old bridge were taken up, it was ascer- 

 tained that strong elm piles had been driven deep into 

 the bed of the river as closely as possible, over which 

 long planks, strongly bolted, were placed, and on these 

 (u i cat stones having been thrown into the interior spaces) 

 the bases of the piers were laid, the lowermost bedded in 

 pitch, whilst outside of all was placed the pile-work, 



1 Stowe was of this opinion. See i points relating to the structure, see 



liis ' Survey/ See also Dr. Wallis to Thompson's 'Chronicles of Old Lon- 



IVpys, Oct. 24th, 1699, ' Pepys's don Bridge,' a singularly curious 



Diary,' v. 375. For niueh antiqua- lxx)k. 

 rian information mi this and all other 



