Above: View of the bridge at night, taken from the Battersea side. Notice the two additional supports for the bridge towards the centre of the view.
The wrought iron suspension bridge, constructed by the engineer Rowland Mason Ordish, was officially opened on 23 August 1873 as a toll bridge, named after Prince Albert, consort to Queen Victoria.
When it opened, it was a toll bridge which meant that even pedestrians had to pay to cross it. In 1879, the bridge was freed from tolls. Two concrete piers were added in 1973 by the London County Council (LCC) to support the bridge’s centre span.
The three-span suspension bridge is the only bridge ever built on the site. It is 709 feet (216 m), in three spans, between abutments and 41 feet (13 m) wide between the parapets. The towers are 101 feet (31 m) above high water supporting a central span of 364 feet (111 m). This bridge is only one of two crossing the Thames in Inner London (the other being Tower Bridge) that has never been replaced. All the other road bridges in Inner London have been rebuilt at least once.
Four toll houses, two at each end of the bridge, remain from when the bridge was first opened. Because the bridge is relatively weak, there is a sign advising that soldiers should break steps if they are marching in formation across the bridge.
The bridge is an attractive one, mainly when seen illuminated at night. Its delicate structure means that heavy traffic is banned from crossing the bridge.
-ENDS-
Know Your London 