“This Report is dated May 25th, 1821, and its strenuous reccommendation of a new building was a natural result of the inquiries of the Select Committee of the House of Commons, specially appointed for that purpose; the Minutes of which are printed in the ‘Reports and Evidences’ already cited, pages 7-47. This examination of witnesses took place in consequence of several Petitions from water-men, owners of barges, &c. relative to the dangerous navigation of London Bridge, Mr. Heathfield being agent for the Petitioners; and as the nature of their complaint is generally known, I shall be very brief in my account of it. They stated, then, that the craft, &c. on the River having increased one-third within the last 20 years, the water-way at London Bridge was no longer sufficient for them; since the larger loaded barges, in general, went through the Great Arch, which they could pass only for about 6 hours out of 24, or the first 3 after high-water. On this account, there was considerable danger at the flood-tide, because the loaded barges, then crowding to get through, were all equally impelled to the same point; and thus very frequently damaged, sunk, or locked together in the Arch. Another cause of great danger was the getting on a Sterling, when the water had covered it only enough to prevent its form being visible; for if a barge passed over it but a few feet, or even inches, and stopped upon not finding sufficient water, if it got on the edge, as the water sank, it fell over; or, if in the middle, was detained there until the next tide. This evil, too, was stated to be continually increasing, from the constant repairs of the Sterlings, which considerably extended their size; whilst much of the chalk, &c. being daily washed over, served only to fill up the Arches. For barges, however, not exceeding 25 tons’ burthen, St. Mary’s and the Draw-Locks were both occasionally used at high-water; but, besides their extreme narrowness,—neither of them being more than 16 feet between the Sterlings,—they are both subject to peculiar and contrary sets of tides; whilst the Sterling of the former has so great a projection, that a barge striking it would probably go stern foremost into the 4th Lock, where it would be detained the rest of the tide, and considerably damaged, or sunk. Omitting the numerous accidents at London Bridge recounted in these answers, I shall observe only, that some of the Lightermen, &c. estimated their losses by it at £100 yearly; and that Mr. Anthony Nicholl, a Wharfinger at Dowgate, stated, that, having, in April, 1820, lost goods there to the amount of £1000, he could not insure property passing through the Bridge, under a premium of 5 per cent.
“Whilst this evidence, however, seemed decisive as to the great importance of a new edifice, the Corporation of London appears to have been much more inclined to alter the old one; since, on February 22nd, 1821, the Committee for letting the Bridge-House Estates was ordered to attend the Select Committee of the House of Commons, during their deliberations respecting London Bridge: and on the 22nd of the ensuing March, the Select Bridge Committee was also directed to consider of the Report on altering the structure, as proposed by Mr. Dance, &c. The result of the latter inquiry was given in a Report dated April 11th, contained in the tract of Documents already cited, page 78; and it stated that, on March 30th, a conference having been held with the Earl of Liverpool and the Right Hon. Nicholas Vansittart, the Committee, &c. were informed that His Majesty’s Ministers would not sanction the appropriation of the public revenue towards the erection of a new Bridge; though it was considered that tolls might be levied for that purpose. From this interview, the Committee was induced to recommend the alteration of the old London Bridge, as all the proposed funds for building a new one were either objectionable or wholly insufficient. The Corporation of London having agreed to this return, it was delivered to the Select Committee of the House of Commons, where evidence was being received on the part of the Corporation; as contained in the tract of Documents before referred to, Appendix No. 1., pages 53-129; the proceedings lasting from Wednesday, March 23rd, 1821, to Monday, May 14th, and the examinations on the part of the City being conducted by Mr. Randle Jackson. This evidence was divided into two principal parts; the first being intended to disprove the allegations of the petitioners respecting the inconveniences; and the second, that the proposed alteration of the Bridge would be both a practicable and sufficient improvement. To ascertain whether the centre had undergone any recent or continued settlement, since the great alteration of 1758, Mr. Francis Giles surveyed it on March 6th, 1821, and found, by a spirit-level on the cornice of the Great Arch, that the Western side inclined only 2½ inches below a right line of 83 feet, whilst the variation on the East was no more than 23⁄8 inches; and even this depression was supposed to have taken place soon after the striking of the new Arch, as there appeared neither crevices in the joints, nor fractures in the stones, as indicating any later sinking. The Sterlings and Piles were stated to be in generally good repair, though the former had been increased from 4 to 5 feet each at the Great Arch, to make them of a more easy sweep, and form a smoother passage for the current. To guard against any increase of depth there, which might render the Piles insecure, it was stated, that monthly soundings were taken and registered, and large stones occasionally dropped in, which were found to remain; but it was not the custom to throw them in large quantities, though the Sterlings of St. Mary’s and the 4th and 5th Locks had recently received about 153 tons of chalk.
“These particulars were chiefly communicated by James Mountague, Esq., Superintendant of the Works at London Bridge, and Mr. John Kitching, the Tide-Carpenter; but the most interesting and curious evidence, which was intended to shew the nature and amount of the Bridge-House funds, was given by Robert Finch Newman, Esq., Comptroller of the Bridge-House Estates; and embraced a great variety of information relating to the history, property, and officers belonging to this edifice. From his answers, it appeared, that the real and personal property of London Bridge produced an income of £30,503: 7s. 8d.; out of which the rental of the Bridge-House Estates amounted, in 1819, to £23,990: 5s., and in 1820 to £25,805: 13s. 2d. This rental consisted of ‘Proper Rents,’ or those arising from premises within the City; ‘Foreign Rents,’ derived from places without London; ‘Quit Rents,’ which have been already explained; and ‘Lands Purchased,’ or possessions formerly bought of the Crown. Before the Reformation, we have seen that some of these were subject to the expense of certain religious services; and the ancient estate at Stratford, producing a rent of £409: 4s., is still charged with the support of St. Michael’s and Peg’s Hole Bridges there, on which £2,467: 8s. 11d., have been laid out since 1724; and £50 per annum are paid as a composition for repairing the causeway. It was farther added, that the City was indebted to the Bridge-House the sums of £36,383: 4s. 6d. in cash, and £9,000 in 3 per cent. Consols; whilst its capital consisted of
“The next branch of the evidence was to shew the practicability and advantage of the proposed alterations, contrasted with the erection of a new Bridge; Mr. Rennie’s estimate for which amounted to £450,000, including £20,000 for a temporary passage, as it was to be erected on the old site, with nearly the present approaches. The crown of the principal Arch of this structure was intended to be 29 feet 6 inches over high-water mark, being 14 feet 3 inches more than the present; and the quantity of stone for it was calculated at 70,000 tons. The principal argument for altering the old edifice was, that the Piers might be examined at low-water, at a trifling cost, without Coffer-dams, and in about a month’s time; on account of the apparent strength of the fabric as discovered in an excavation made in May, 1821, on the City side of the North Pier of the Great Arch, about 14 feet from the Western front. There is a lithographic print of this opening, by Mr. James Walker; and particular descriptions of its construction are contained with it, in the tract of ‘Reports and Evidences,’ as given by that Engineer, Mr. William Chapman, and Mr. Thomas Piper, Stone-Mason to the City, see pages 87, 102, 111, and 127; but with its formation, as examined in this very year by Mr. Knight, we are already perfectly well acquainted. As it was found, however, as he also stated, that, in all probability, none of the Piers rested solely on Piles, they were considered capable of bearing a much greater weight than the present Bridge, though that was proposed to be lightened in the alteration; and as the Piers of the Great Arch supported the superstructure when the depth under it was 24 feet at low-water, they were believed to be perfectly equal to carrying it with a depth of 10, to which the River-bed was proposed to be levelled. Mr. Chapman also stated, that though a new Bridge would admit of greater perfection, yet that the intended alteration might answer the purpose, and the whole work be rendered secure, if the Sterlings were kept in repair; though he thought they might be both lowered and contracted. And should this alteration prove even insufficient as to the water-way, he considered that two new Arches might be formed at the North end, giving an addition of 43 feet, for the expense of about £20,000 each. This alteration was expected to reduce the annual repairs of the Bridge, from one half to two-thirds of its former amount; and abate the quantity of the fall of water from 5 feet to 3 inches: though the velocity of the stream above Bridge would be thereby increased, since a greater quantity of water would have to run through in the same time; and as the tide would flow higher, and ebb lower, the inclination of the River’s surface would likewise be increased. This inclination amounts at present to 6 inches in a mile, or 1 foot between Westminster and London Bridges, at low-water; and estimating it at double after the alterations, it was calculated by Messrs. James Walker, and Stephen Leach, Superintendant of Improvements in the Thames Navigation, that its effect would extend as far as Kew Bridge. They also supposed that the water would ebb sooner from the wharfs, and thus leave their barges less time afloat; from all which circumstances, it seemed important that the River should be artificially deepened, the shoals cleared, and the whole navigation gradually prepared to meet the effects of the enlargement of London Bridge.
“The last part of the evidence was intended to prove, that the increased water-way would be more than sufficient to satisfy the petitioners; but though the owners of the Coal-craft were contented with this, some of the Wharfingers still objected to the short time their vessels could work, from the rapid flow of the tide; and contended that the remaining six Arches on the North would collect ice enough to block up the River above the Bridge. From these examinations, the Bridge-Committee was convinced of the superior advantage of erecting a New Bridge, as expressed to the Corporation in a Report dated April 12th, 1821; though, from the difficulty of raising funds for it, unassisted by Parliament, on June 2nd, another Report was made, stating that a Select Committee having attended the House of Commons, it had adduced evidence to prove the stability of the Bridge; that the inconveniences complained of were exaggerated; and that the proposed alteration was both sufficient and practicable: notwithstanding which, however, the House of Commons’ Committee, in its Report of May 25th, recommended a Bill for a new Bridge to be presented early in the next Session.
“These proceedings were followed by a survey of the Thames, from the present Bridge to Old Swan-Stairs, made by appointment of the City, about August, 1822, and taken at low-water mark, when the depth was found to vary from 9 feet to 33½; the greatest being at 84 feet from the Sterlings, and the least at 290. The measurements were taken by a line divided into spaces of 12 feet by pieces of red cloth, passing between two others; one being extended from the Old Swan entirely across the River, and the second from the Sterling-points at the Great Arch.
“To procure designs for a new Bridge, on June 15th, 1822, the Corporation advertised premiums of £250, £150, and £100, for the first, second, and third in merit, which produced about an hundred drawings; their inspection being referred, November 15th, by the Bridge-House Committee, to John Nash, John Soane, Robert Smirke, and William Mountague, Esqrs.: whose answers were given in three Reports in December, 1822, and the following January, and the premiums awarded to Messrs. Fowler, Borer, and Busby; though one of the designs of the late Mr. Rennie was that ultimately adopted. The rebuilding of London Bridge was then officially referred to Parliament by order of the Corporation, February 19th, 1823, when a Select Committee, formed from that for managing the Bridge-House Estates, provided a Bill; though the measure was still a matter of dispute, from the doubts existing of its effects on the navigation, the expense which it would incur, and on the designs already presented.
“On July 4th, however, 1823,—the 4th year of George IV. Chapter 50,—the Royal Assent was given to ‘An Act for the Rebuilding of London Bridge, and for the improving and making suitable approaches thereto;’ which is printed in ‘A Collection of the Public General Statutes,’ London, 1823, folio, pages 478-536. It commenced by noticing the title of the Corporation of London to be Conservator of the Thames, and its right to the Bridge-House Estates for the benefit of London Bridge; and after referring to the Acts for its improvement and removing the Water-works, the evils of the present building, and the expedience of a new one, it then proceeded to give the following powers, to remain in force for 10 years. To take down, and sell the old Bridge; either leaving it till the completion of the new one, or erecting a temporary structure before removing it: to build a new edifice of Granite, either on the present site, or within 180 feet Westward, with convenient approaches, according to the designs of John Rennie, Esq., with any alterations, being, with the Engineer and Contractor, previously approved by the Lords of the Treasury; the new building standing in the parishes where its abutments are placed, and marking the extent of any jurisdiction instead of the old one: to embank the River in a straight line, from the centre of the abutments of the present Bridge, to the distance of 180 feet West, and 110, East; to raise and lower, new pave, alter, or stop up, streets, &c. in the approaches; and close them during the execution of the Act, to the distance of 300 yards from the present edifice; to land materials free of duty, and to occupy places for storing them, also within 300 feet; to take down houses, &c. beside those entered in the schedule, upon recompense being previously made; to occupy the burial-ground of St. Magnus’ Church, providing another; to set back houses on the Western side of Grace-Church Street, Fish-Street Hill, and High-Street, Southwark, between Lombard-Street and St. Margaret’s-Hill; to sell, or grant leases of, ground not wanted, and apply the produce to the purposes of the Act; to receive from the Lords of the Treasury the sum of £150,000; additional funds being raised on credit of the Bridge-House Estates by mortgages, annuities, bonds, &c.; to set apart the yearly sum of £12,000 from the Bridge-House rents, for payment of existing charges, and expenses; and to form a sinking-fund for redeeming the monies borrowed; the residue of the rents being deposited with the Chamberlain, for paying of interest, &c.; the expenses of the Act, designs, &c. being discharged from other sums belonging to the Bridge-House Estates. It was also provided, that the Corporation should be answerable for the misuse of these funds, a yearly statement of accounts being laid before Parliament; though it is not to be liable for failure of the rents, &c. on which money is borrowed, for damage occasioned by removal of the Bridge, nor for the work being left unfinished, by the funds proving insufficient. The Act closed with powers for appointing Committees, with Clerks, &c., to execute it, saving interested persons; and with the usual clauses for lighting, watching, making compensation for tithes, &c. &c. The schedule of houses to be taken down contained the particulars of 43 buildings on the City side, and of 109 in Southwark.
“It being determined to retain the old edifice till the completion of its successor, the site of the new Bridge was fixed at about 100 feet Westward of the present, St. Saviour’s Church standing above it; though the perfect plan of its approaches can scarcely yet be traced. The first Pile of the work was driven near the Southern end of the old Bridge, opposite the Arch called the Second Lock from the Surrey shore, at the East end of the Coffer-dam, of which it formed a part, on Monday, March 15th, 1824. About the same time, too, the whole of the open spaces between the ballustrades on the Western parapet of the present edifice, were closely boarded up; as well as those square recesses, open at the top, which would have allowed spectators to climb upon the cornice. The houses and other buildings abutting on London Bridge on the Western side of the Borough High-Street, were also rapidly sold, and some parts only of the lower fronts allowed to remain.