Explore Westminster Bridge

The Old Westminster Bridge, built in 1750, was the first stone bridge to cross the Thames in 500 years. Many artists were inspired to paint it, among them Samuel Scott, Canaletto and Claude Monet. In 1831 the demolition of London Bridge increased the flow of water that undermined Westminster bridge’s foundations. A new bridge was designed by engineer Thomas Page. Sir Charles Barry, the architect responsible for re-building the Palace of Westminster after a fire in 1834, was taken on as consultant so that the bridge would complement his new Houses of Parliament.  The new bridge opened on Queen Victoria’s 43rd birthday – 24 May 1862 – with a 25-gun salute to honour her 25 years on the throne. With its seven iron-ribbed elliptical spans and pillars of grey granite, Westminster Bridge has the most arches of all the Thames bridges. The balustrade is pierced with a row of trefoils, a graphic form composed of three overlapping circles. A portcullis, the cross of St George, a thistle, a shield and a rose – symbols of parliament and the United Kingdom – appear in the decorative ironwork.