London Bridge in the USA

As we made our way back south, toward home, we had a few sights that we wanted to see, and the London Bridge was one of them.  The London Bridge had actually been rebuilt and replaced at least a few times over its history.  The Bridge that is now at Lake Havasu City, AZ, was built in England, and completed in 1831.  I really wanted to see this piece of history, and so we made this a stop for us on this trip.  You may be wondering why the London Bridge was being replaced and this one sold.  Well, back when this bridge was originally built, in the 1800’s, no one could imagine what a bridge would have to be able to support in the 20^th century.  And, after years of traffic on it, the bridge was sinking into the river!  Yes, the London Bridge was truly falling down!!

The first thing we saw as we entered what’s considered the “English Village” at Lake Havasu City, AZ is a gate that was part of Witley Court in Worcester, England.  Robert McCulloch bought this gate when the estate it was on was sold off to various buyers, and he had it shipped to Lake Havasu City.  I really loved the look of this gate – a grand entry to a commercial community I was not expecting!

Just after passing through the gate, there was a fountain with lion statues surrounding it on all 4 sides, each lion clearly a part of the overall fountain structure.  It was rather warm (ok, hot) in Lake Havasu City, and all this water splashing felt refreshing, even though no one could actually feel the water.  The fountain was one that folks would toss coins in and make a wish, and Jeff and I were among those who did so.

Ah, the Bridge – what I had wanted to see!  It was interesting to learn that when the bridge was purchased and readied for shipping to the US, each block was numbered before the bridge was disassembled.  The blocks were then shipped to California via the Panama Canal, and trucked from Long Beach to Arizona.  Mr. McCulloch purchased the bridge in 1968 for just over $2.4 million.  The bridge was then reconstructed over a newer bridge capable of withstanding modern day traffic driving on it.  The reconstruction was complete and the bridge was rededicated in October, 1971.  The entire expense of the bridge’s initial cost, transportation and reconstruction totaled $5.1 million.

I loved looking at the details of the bridge’s stonework!  We were able to walk underneath the bridge and get relatively up close to it!  What a treat!!  There was a lot more in the area of the bridge, including restaurants, shops, hotels, etc.!

And, I love this phone booth.  It reminds me of something that one would have seen in London at the time the bridge was perhaps considered relatively new.  I also love the pop of the bright red color against the cool grey of the stonework of the bridge!

And, how could we visit the London Bridge without taking the opportunity to drive on it?  I wasn’t sure Jeff would go for such a touristy thing to do, but he did!  Just rather neat to be driving on history! And, just fyi - this bridge is actually built around a new bridge capable of withstanding today's traffic, so it won't be falling down again!

Enjoy!