London Bridge in America: The Tall Story of a Transatlantic Crossing

by Travis Elborough

In 1968 the world’s largest antique went to America. But how do you transport a 130-year-old bridge 3,000 miles? And why did Robert P. McCulloch, a multimillionaire oil baron and chainsaw-manufacturing king, buy it? Why did he ship it to a waterless patch of the Arizonan desert? Did he even get the right bridge? To answer these questions, it’s necessary to meet a peculiar cast. Fleet Street shysters · Revolutionary Radicals · Frock-coated industrialists · Disneyland designers · Thames dockers · Guinness Book of Records officials · The odd Lord Mayor · Bridge-building priests · Gun-toting U.S. sheriffs · An Apache Indian or two And a fraudster whose greatest trick was to convince the world he ever existed Roll up, then, for the story of one of the strangest events in Anglo-American relations. Curious, clever and sharp, this is history to delight in.

Genres: History

288 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2013

Reviews

[Rachel Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining read on a subject that most people have an inkling of – London bridge was sold to the Americans – but don't really know the full story. The first half of the book details the rise and fall (naturally) of the mediaeval bridge, replaced in 1831, which was then itself torn down in 1968, and the Georgian bridge shipped to Arizona, the history of which is detailed in the second part. Elborough is a tangenital writer, dedicating 2 or 3 pages to William Randolph Hearst, for example, who was a collector of European antiquities but was dead 25 years before the Brits sold the Yanks the bridge. There's another few pages about shyster Arthur Ferguson who never actually existed. But other factoids, such as Robert Walpole ordering the second crossing over the river, Putney Bridge, in 1720 because the watermen refused to take him across at a late hour, or that revolutionary hero Thomas Paine was also an engineer who invented tarmac, were fascinating. Elborough over-writes at times, with a desire to get all of his research into some over-long, and unnecessarily detailed sentences, along with some similes that don't really work (comparing an ancient bridge to the Terminator), and the book could have done with an index, but overall, I was amused and informed.

And yes, the myth about the Americans thinking that they were buying Tower Bridge is just that.

[Andy Dorsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes when you're traveling, you pick up a local newspaper in the hotel lobby and thumb idly through it. While you may come across some articles of general or global interest, you eventually have to concede that you don't come from and are not familiar with the context in which the newspaper was written (Who are these names and what are these places that the writer assumes all readers will know?). That's how I felt about this book.

Elborough takes a cheeky look at the history of London Bridge from its initial creation up to its eventual landing in the desert of Arizona. He is a competent researcher and an entertaining writer, but as an American I didn't understand many of the ubiquitous and undoubtedly funny references he makes throughout the book. From what I could tell, he didn't do too much original research (there are no great uncoverings of hitherto unknown documents that turn the history of London Bridge on its head), and so most of the value of "London Bridge in America" lies in his unique way of telling the story. And, as I say, that part wasn't quite a match for me... obviously through no fault of Elborough's!

[Book Grocer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Purchase London Bridge in America here for just $10!

A truly wild tale, filled with interesting moments and characters, about the sale of London Bridge to Americans. Managing to balance educating with entertaining, Travis Elborough has written a fascinating book that deserves pride of place on your shelves.

Elisa, Book Grocer

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curious story about the City of London needing to build a new bridge over the Thames and trying to sell the old London Bridge in the 1960s (which was not that old - it was opened in 1831). They managed to find a rich American who offered them about £1 million and moved the bridge to Arizona. An interesting is whether the buyer thought he was buying the Tower Bridge, thinking it was the real London Bridge.

[James Cooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you don’t mind putting in the hours to read about the history of the bridge prior to the sale then I think you’ll enjoy this book. The logistics and subsequent opening of the bridge in Lake Havasu are towards the end of the book. Definitely a story worth telling

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part of the book is a history of London Bridge and its predecessor. This could be a bit confusing and was quite dull. Only the second half of the book is actually about the sale to America. This half was interesting. None of the pictures are labelled which is really annoying.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read, but I wanted less history of bridges in general and more on the crazy quirks of the McCulloch purchase, esp more on McCulloch and Woody.

[Julian Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laying to rest the myth that the Americans thought they were buying Tower Bridge, this is a book in two parts - the first full of colourful history, entertainingly bought to life and the second full of colourful characters more entertaining than life.

A very satisfying and enjoyable read on a very quirky slice of history.