The Story of LondonWheatley, Henry B. (Henry Benjamin)
History
The Story of London
Wheatley, Henry B. (Henry Benjamin)
London (England) -- History
Most of the travellers in England who have written on the subject speak
of the bridge with high praise. Frederick Duke of Wirtemberg, who
visited this country in 1592, was pleased with what he saw, and his
secretary wrote: 'Over the river at London there is a beautiful long
bridge, with quite splendid, handsome and well-built houses, which are
occupied by merchants of consequence. Upon one of the towers, nearly in
the middle of the bridge, are stuck up about thirty-four heads of
persons of distinction, who had in former times been condemned and
beheaded for creating riots and from other causes.' It will be seen from
this passage that when the new tower was built the heads which had been
removed during the rebuilding to the Bridge-foot were taken back to the
new tower. Six years later Hentzner wrote of London Bridge as 'a bridge
of stone, 800 feet in length, of wonderful work; it is supported upon 20
piers of square stone, 60 feet high and 30 broad, joined by arches of
about 20 feet diameter. The whole is covered on each side with houses,
so disposed as to have the appearance of a continued street, not at all
of a bridge.' Correr, the Venetian Ambassador in 1610, states that the
bridge was so narrow that it was very difficult for two coaches meeting
to pass each other without danger.[87]
Englishmen were not behindhand in singing the praises of the bridge;
thus Lyly wrote in _Euphues and his England_: 'Among all the straunge
and beautiful showes, mee thinketh there is none so notable as the
bridge which crosseth the Theames, which is in manner of a continuall
streete, well replenyshed with large and stately houses on both sides,
and situate upon twentie arches, whereof each one is made of excellent
free stone squared, everie one of them being three score foote in
height, and full twentie in distaunce one from another.'
The chapel on the bridge had an endowment for two priests or chaplains,
four clerks and other brethren, with certain chantries annexed. A
dwelling-house was afterwards attached to the chapel, which, at the
close of the thirteenth century, was known as the Bridge House. In the
year 1298 John de Leuesham [Lewisham], brother of the London 'Bridge
House,' was made bailiff of the manor of Lewisham, 'the proceeds of
which were then, as they still are, devoted to the maintenance and
repair of the bridge.'[88]
In the folklore of bridges the frequent practice in the Middle Ages of
building a chapel forms a special feature of the subject. There are
several instances still remaining, one of which is the chapel of the old
bridge at Bradford-on-Avon.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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